Have you experienced where you are praying for something over a period of time and you would give anything to hear the answer of the Lord in this area?
I was recently spending a few days away and was able to get out in the country for a prayer walk alone with God in the bush. God meets us in nature in a powerful way. On this day as I prayed for those things, the emotions of it all flowed from me by way of tears. And there I was in the bush feeling like the layers of my self-protection were being shed and God was revealing the true me under the armour. I felt weighed down by it to the point I almost sat in the middle of the path. Was I sad? No, but I was acknowledging emotions, longings, and needs that I keep bottled up and God allowed me to pour them out and make them accessible to Him.
I am reminded of the story of Hannah at the temple where she went and wept in prayer to the Lord for her desire for a child. She was overcome by emotion and came in a humble mess to pour it all out before the Lord.
For Hannah, she was found in that posture by the priest which you can read here 1 Samuel 1-2 NLT
For me, there was the wind in the trees and the call of birds and the stillness that we so rarely get in this busy world. There were also the trees growing in the rock – trees growing where it seemed like they should never be able to grow let alone be tall and able to withstand the storms that come.
I stood there looking at these trees growing where my mind could not comprehend and I just started saying aloud, “God, I trust you. God, you are faithful. God, you are enough.” Over and over as I wept until the real reason for my emotions revealed itself.
I knew I was ready to walk back when the worship songs started filling my heart.
I share this because I don’t think I am alone in this. We all have big emotions sometimes. We all have prayers we have been making in secret for months or years, that we would not dare to share with another – but that God knows.
It took me a few hours after my return to feel emotionally myself again. A friend asked if I was okay and I could not even answer them because the tears would have started all over again and there is no explanation that would make sense. Allowing your heart to open in areas it has been closed for awhile leaves you feeling off balance until you adjust to that new position.
God did not send someone to tell me that my prayers would be answered. I did not get any big sign that my prayers were going to be answered at all. I have no greater understanding in that area. What did come from that experience? First, one of those walls is down and my heart is more free than it was before. Most importantly though, I was in the presence of my Lord and I know that I can trust Him and He is enough.
Whatever you are facing in this season in your life, whatever the prayers you are bringing to the Lord, He is there in the midst. You can trust Him. God is faithful. His promises are true and you can discover who you are in Him.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you that we can find you when we seek you. Thank you for nature where you reveal yourself. Thank you that when our emotions overwhelm us, you don’t walk away or turn your eyes from us, but that you draw close to us. You place us under your wing and shelter us while we pour it all out to you. Thank you that your plans, your ways, your will is for us and is so much better than we could ask or imagine. May we walk day by day with you, trusting you and seeking your will and not our own.
Dawn Berry
Executive Assistant
