the truth about that thief

i spend quite a bit of time listening to people talk about the things the enemy has stolen. innocence, time, purity, joy, peace. you name it, if it is kingdom given, the enemy wants it and he won't stop until he can devour every beautiful thing from our lives. when we are ignorant of this scheme and this strategy against us, we are ravaged, spoiled, overwhelmed, defeated, and resigned. as a leader and lover of people, it never ceases to amaze me the things that people have survived. and there they are...saying "when i was 8, i was molested", "they said this when I was 10", or "I never knew my dad, I don't even know what he looks like".  these hearts are ravaged. fear of the future, regret for the past, heads hung low in shame, minds battered by torment.

until, He comes.

and there He is. He begins to woo,  and court us.

when my grandma died, someone at the funeral told me that my grandpa used to whistle a little song  called "sentimental journey" outside my grandma's window when he came to court her. he would whistle this under her window, and it was her signal to come outside and see him. my grandpa had died one year earlier and the person talking to me said "i think he was whistling to her, he was ready for her to come and be with him".

i think this is what the Lord does with us. in the middle of our broken and charred landscape, He begins to whistle His song, sing His song of deliverance over us. and we run to the one who can replace what the enemy has stolen. not only does He replace, He makes it better, He makes it like it never happened. Only better. better because we are smarter, stronger and ready to pull others out of the same darkness.

and He loves us. how He loves us. so beautifully He loves us. He melts our resistance, His perfect love casts out our fear. and right in the middle of that barren field, He gives us beauty for ashes, strength for fear.

Jesus loves me this i know.

our young people did a declaration a couple of years ago. my favorite line continues to be "just try to tell me my God doesn't heal. Just try to tell me my God doesn't save. just try to tell me that God doesn't do miracles in this day...you're looking at one. "

so restore, Father. teach us to be a part of the healing for others.  restorer of the broken walls, repairers of the breach. let your kingdom come. here. now, on our earth as it is in your heaven.