 "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
This place that I found so comfortable This place that I always had known This place that had bars on the windows I had mistakenly called my home Trapped in the fog of familiar Held by the cords of the past Anchored in dark unforgiveness The mirror revealed only masks As I sat in my self-made prison A neighbor showed up unannounced He entered through the wall of remembrance And said "Today what was lost has been found." He lifted me out of the seat of despair He pushed over my table of doubt He covered me in a blanket of mercy Took my hand and said, "It's time to get out." I followed him into the sunlight Blinded by the light's pure rays I followed him to a flowing stream As I entered the filth washed away The filth of things unspoken The filth of my hiding and lies The filth of my dark, dingy prison I arose from the water tears filling my eyes "Who are you?" I asked in wonder "And what is this beautiful place?" "I am your Creator," he said with a smile "And this is the river of freedom and grace." "You were not made to live in a prison, Forged by your striving and pain. You were made to live in a palace My child, I have called you by name." He bent on the shore of the river He lifted a stone from the flow He handed it to me; I trembled and read my true name that no one else knows "Now is the time of your freedom, Now is the time of your truth, What once held you bound as captive, I have severed, you are forever loosed." Written by Anne Marie Hawke The End Of December 2019 To subscribe to my blog or to find out more about my writing please visit my website at hawkewriter.com
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 "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (Isaiah 46:4)
Sometimes the weight of life is more than we can bear. Sometimes the covers of our bed are the only weight we want to feel. Sometimes the call doesn't come, the relationship doesn't work out, the diagnosis is not good, and the news we get at 3:00am rips our world apart. Read the verse above again. God is. God made you. He will sustain you. He will carry you. He will rescue you. For all of your life. God is. He says twice here, "I am He," and in Exodus 3:14 we read, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM, and he said, 'Thus shalt you say unto the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you." What does He mean? I think in one sense it means that He is whatever you need Him to be. He is your provider. He is your protector. He is your refuge. He is the lifter of your head and the encourager of your heart. He is your safety. He is your defense. He is your validation. He is your friend. He is the lover of your soul. He is your peace. He is your counselor. He is your father. He is your life. He is your breath. He is enough. He is. He made you. Psalm 139:13-14b, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;" Verse 16, "your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." He made you and knows you uniquely. You are not an accident. You were absolutely on purpose. And the One who made you will sustain you, He will carry you, He will rescue you. He will sustain you. Sustain from its Latin root is 'sus' which means 'up,' plus 'tenere,' which means 'to hold.' It suggests constantly holding up or maintaining. Webster's Dictionary (1828) says sustain means; to bear--to endure without failing or yielding; to support--from sinking into despondency; to maintain--to keep alive; to hold--to keep from falling as a rope sustains weight. In this moment in whatever circumstance you find yourself in, God is sustaining you: He is bearing you up, supporting you, keeping you alive, and holding you up in His arms. Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." He will sustain you. He will carry you. Isaiah 40:11, "He tends the flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." When you carry someone in your arms, close to your chest, they can hear your heartbeat. God is saying to you here that He will carry you as a lamb in His arms, close to His heart--He wants you to know the strength of His arms and the strength and peace of His heartbeat. When was the last time you leaned into His chest, let Him wrap His arms around you, and just listened to His heartbeat? When was the last time you put down all of those things you are trying to carry, and just let Him carry you? He will carry you. He will rescue you. Jeremiah 1:8, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord." When life gets too hard, when the water gets too deep, when the heaviness won't lift, when it hurts so bad you can't find the words--He will rescue you. He will come as a warrior. He will cut through the darkness, the despair, the inner and outer turmoil. He will be your rescue. In order to be sustained you have to admit that you cannot sustain yourself. In order to be carried you have to admit that you need to be carried. In order to be rescued you have to admit that you are in need of rescue. He said "I will sustain you, I will carry you, I will rescue you." The question is: Will you let Him?? Written by Anne Marie Hawke December 2019 To subscribe to my blog, or to find out more about my writing please visit my website at hawkewriter.com |
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