His Delight

"Come thou north wind,Breathe thou south wind; Breathe upon my garden That the spices may flow out. The north wind tears down the dead wood and holds back the buds that are opening prematurely. They are getting ready by repression for strong life when the south wind blows. We need the north wind to bring about the readiness for spring and, when the clearing blast has done its business, the south wind will blow. The first answer to the Lord's prayer for Peter that his faith should not fail was the utter breakdown of his faith at the first test. But it was just a step on the full road to Pentecost... For us, in our small way, there is only one place where we can find the deepest heart-brokenness; it is down before the broken heart of Jesus, broken for our sins, for our selfishness, for the world about which we have cared so little. Emptiness, yieldedness, brokenness, these are the conditions of the Spirit's outflow. Such was the path taken by the Prince of Life to set free the floodtide of Pentecost." --- Lilias Trotter

The above was borrowed from the journals of a woman who KNEW brokenness and God's ministry to her need. Walking through these broken times in my own life, I am thankful... her words author hope that indeed, "Emptiness, yieldedness, brokenness, these are the conditions of the Spirit's outflow."

KNOWING that God’s Grace is sufficient for my every need (2 Corinthians 12:9)… and ALSO knowing “those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the Grace that can be theirs (Jonah 2)… I lay awake, these Words resonating... authoring this certainty: “I DO NOT WANT TO CLING TO WORTHLESS IDOLS in these unsettled times…”

The sticky wicket? Honoring my soul's plaintive cry...

Knowing that I cannot do this alone…

That if left to my own devices, my “good intentions” are nothing but fantasy…

That my best “figuring out” got me nowhere…

...I come to the still, silent, and broken place where the north wind blows and I meet my Father to hear and listen to His Voice...

Though often caught “complaining and murmuring” about the "short leash" God has me on at this juncture of my life, I see how this has kept me oh-so-close to Him in the presence of the winds that accompany the "nor-easters" ... I am profoundly grateful for His Close Attention … He has shown me (once again!) that it is not so much the “point” I am on in my journey, as it is the direction in which I am traveling. Close tethering disallows getting too far down the road of "wrong-way" ... ruts are illuminated and I am reminded that I have but to turn around (ahhhhhhhh, repentance!) for my progress to change direction… as i hear and obey, those same "north winds", rather than buffeting me, are at my back, propelling me foward on the Lighted Path of sanctification... promising God-ordained change and much-needed rest.