Nothing Between...

The life of following Jesus requires patience, expectancy and waiting on the Lord for His leading and will to be done. One thing I have realized is that I don’t like to wait. I want my goals, hopes and dreams to be accomplished and to be a reality now rather than waiting patiently for God’s best. With following the Lord comes trials, difficulties and pain. I have realized like most people, I don't like it.... at all. I want to be happy. I want my way. I want what I think is best. 

God could give me all I have ever dreamed, hoped or asked for- He is not limited. However, He is choosing to wait, to refine, to strip all away, so that I may know HIM and ONLY HIM. He could give me my heart’s desire- right now, yet, I would miss the opportunity of intimately knowing His heart and His love. It is because of His great love and mercy that He withholds what we think we long for most so that in the end He may be crowned most dear and glorious in our hearts.

He has called me to wait upon Him and trust Him. Often times, we think the reward of waiting on God is getting the thing that we are waiting for, but maybe our reward is Jesus, Himself?

This is an excerpt from Robert Kelfer’s poem called, “Waiting on the Lord.”

“He seemed to kneel and His eyes wept with me,
And He tenderly said,
"I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give and pleased you would be.
You would have all you want- but You wouldn't know Me."

"You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint;
You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me when darkness and silence were all You could see."

"You'd never experience that fullness of love as the peace of my Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save (for a start),
But You'd not know the depth of My Heart."

"The flow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that is beyond getting just what you asked of an infinite God, who makes what you have last."

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee, what it means that, "My grace is sufficient for you." 
Yes, your dreams for loved ones overnight would come true,
But oh the loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!"

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see that:
THE GREATEST OF GIFTS IS TO GET TO KNOW ME.
And though oft may my answers seem terribly late,
My wisest of answers is still but to WAIT."

Through this time of waiting, the Lord has and is stripping me of everything outside of Himself- everything that I find security and joy in apart from Him. These trials, this pain, suffering, dark nights, loss, difficulties are opportunities to reach out to God and rest in His love. It is in His love that He strips us of everything that we cling to and rely on so that in the end all we can say is, “All I have is Christ.”

I feel like I put a quote from Elisabeth Elliot in every blog post, however, this dear woman has been a Spiritual mentor and inspiration for me in this season.  She writes, “I am not a theologian or a scholar but I am very aware of the fact that pain is necessary for all of us. In my own life, I can honestly say that out of the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the Presence of God and the Love of God.”  

“God never withholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call good. God's refusals are always merciful -- "severe mercies" at times but mercies all the same. God never denies us our hearts desire except to give us something better.”  -Elisabeth Elliot

“I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly to pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done.” –Elisabeth Elliot

As we wait, as we trust, as we walk through the dark nights. He is here. He is near. May we live close to Him and may there be nothing between my soul and my Savior.

I'm miles away from seeing the story You're writing
When You give and You take, it's hard to embrace Your timing
When I'm watching the walls burn to the ground around me
I just wanna know what it is, You're trying to show me

I will walk through the fires of life
I will wait in the darkest of nights
I will follow You into the fight
If that's where You'll lead me
I don't know what You want me to see
But I know where You want me to be
Close to You, nothing between

I'm starting to see why this is called the narrow road
Cause if I wanna walk this way, oh I've gotta stay close
I'd leave anything in the fire to bring us together
I want nothing between my soul and my Savior

I will walk through the fires of life
I will wait in the darkest of nights
I will follow You into the fight
If that's where You'll lead me
I don't know what You want me to see
But I know where You want me to be
Close to You, nothing between

If it comes between You and Me
Let it burn 'cause You're all I need
You're all I need

I will walk through the fires of life
I will wait in the darkest of nights
I will follow You into the fight
If that's where You'll lead me
I don't know what You want me to see
But I know where You want me to be
Close to You, nothing between

I want nothing between my soul and my Savior
Nothing between

“Nothing Between” –Sanctus Real