So, when I asked the Lord what to write tonight for the year ahead, I felt Him saying He is asking us to sail away with Him into the New Year…
I thought… but Lord, isn’t that what we’ve written the last 2 years… he reminded me of something I wrote when sitting on a deserted beach watching my daughter swim at sundown…
When the days get long and the shadows longer…
When you see your footprints fading in the sand…
When you feel alone but you know you’re not lonely…
You’ve come to know what it is to live in My hand… Knowing I’m there when you’re feeling lonely… knowing you’re safe when you know it’s getting tougher outside…
When your seas keep swirling but your life is not in turmoil, because you keep your eye set firmly on the horizon…
Then you know what it is to live in the palm of My hand…
I was also reminded of a vision I had while at church this year:
I was worshipping and felt the Lord ask me if I would open myself up to Him, I thought this strange, as I felt I had, but said yes Lord…
As I did, the Lord Jesus came up to me in a vision and placed His eyes on mine while they were closed, which He has often done before… this time was the same and yet different, He beckoned me as we were singing turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of the earth will grow strangely dim…
He placed His eyes on mine and then walked up along the path… it was clearly heaven… the streets were gold and He wanted me to follow Him and the things of the earth would grow strangely dim… here I sat in the vision and stood up to follow Him, but as I did the things became so heavy and I was compelled to say, for the first time, never had this experience before, to tell Jesus, but look at the things that I’ve got wrong this year, let me make them right before we can go on, and He, without hesitation, said cut them off we are going onwards, we are not looking at the past and what has weighed you down before, we are moving forwards, onwards and upwards.
Then, as I decided to obey and did what He said, yes, I cut off all the worries and pains of the past, even the most recent days, I cut them off and followed Jesus… nothing better to do in life… as I was following Him, He said to me, “you see, I have so much more for you and everyone who cuts off the things of the world and keeps focused on me. I will take you to new heights, new depths and new levels of intimacy with Me you can only dream of, if you will cut off the things of the earth, the things of the past, the things of the world that so easily distract and fade simultaneously.”
So, now, when I say, “the Lord is beckoning us to sail away with Him into 2023” hopefully it will bring new meaning to you.
(Disclaimer: I haven’t written poetry since school days and really didn’t spend time on this one… it came spontaneously on the beach, I’m sure it needs work… thanks for your grace! Smiles! )