His Longing

Yesterday was a day I had been very much looking forward to. The incredible Shelley Paulson asked if she and a few of her photography mentees, Beka Fancher, and Joanna Reyburn could use me for a photo shoot, and I was SO blessed by their asking! We had a fantastic time finding rickety parts of old buildings to shoot around and stomping through very tall grass rebuking tics, chiggers, snakes and every such thing. Here are a few of Joanna's photos.

After chomping down Five Guys and Fries (SO YUMMY) with them last night, I ended up in bed after midnight, with about four and a half hours of sleep to look forward to. This morning I realized that I probably didn't even get a whole REM cycle in, because I woke up at 2:15, thus breaking what could have been four hours into two hour chunks. I'm tired.

Before I go fall asleep for some rest before the noon set then afternoon tea with Shelley and friends, I want to write a little something.

Saturday 6ams are always exciting; yes, it's a very peculiar, original type of exciting, but exciting all the same. We're all half asleep when we sit down in the briefing room at 5:30, the base is SILENT because the NightWatch moved to the FSM building down the road for the night, and it's always time to gain a bit of expectancy and rev up of our hearts for an intercession set. Judy always has some fire to provoke us with and we end up spending the next two hours having a great time interceding and praising the Lord.

Today we sang Matt Gilman's song You Made A Way, and while I liked the chorus, of course I was itching to get to the bridge: "I am Yours, You are mine, and we'll be together forever!" I could see it just sitting there in the screens queu, waiting for me to push it. When the time came, hands across the room flew into the air -- off the book in front of them, off the guitar strings at their fingertips, off their previously gentle attempt to enter in to worship. As I sang one of my favorite lines in the whole universe to sing, I was struck by a reach back to us from the Lord. My heart felt pushed to believe that indeed, not only was I singing this to my Beloved, but He was singing it to me. We did not lay claim to Jesus, but He laid claim to us. How much more is He able to sing: "I am Yours; YOU are MINE..."

Just think about it, and it makes your heart melt. My feeble whisper of "Oh Jesus, I can't wait to see Your face" is nothing compared to the fire in His eyes and the jealousy in His heart that seals us with His love: "I can't wait for you to be with Me where I am; to be wholly and completely Mine. We will be together forever."