Recently I’ve found myself struggling through life. A few months ago my father went to be with Jesus; I didn’t know how much I loved him until he was gone from terra firma. And so, I have struggled. Every area of my life has struggled. Even my communion with my Eternal Father suffered. Not for want of devotion, more because the earth had shifted beneath my feet. And so, for close to a year I have struggled.
I woke up this morning, and reached for my Bible. I have maintained hope and believed that the Lord would calm the seismic dissonance that had become all but normal; so I reached for my Bible, again each day. Another morning to hope and believe that His mercy would find me; not losing hope but holding firm to the promise that I would see Gods salvation in the land of the living (Ps 27:13).
Many times life throws us curveballs that all but rip our heartsong away. We could be like Houstonians or Markudi-ites caught in storms that divest us of our homes and livelihood. Did you fall victim of the recession and lose your business or job; and are caught in the throes of uncertainty? Perhaps like me, you have endured debilitating loss, which has made your steps unsure and your heart hurt. You may be wondering how to get off the rollercoaster of bewilderment, pain, confusion, hurt and … whatever emotion that has been stealing your heartsong.
Our heartsong is the internal song that strums from the innermost parts of our being that marches to the beat of heaven. The Bible says that the righteous face many afflictions in their lives journey. Some say that afflictions try to ‘kick the stuffing out of you’; I say that afflictions try to silence your heartsong. And make no mistake, these afflictions are many, and they are persistent. So how does one rise above them and maintain the unspoken rhythm of our heartsong?
Back to how I started my day, ‘I reached for my Bible’. Every morning and when my heart is overwhelmed I reach for the Word. As consistently as I can, I walk in the shadow of the Almighty. Even when I do not feel Him, I stand under the shadow of His wings. When I do not believe, I trust Him to help my unbelief. I dig my heels deep in the sands of my lonely place and wait on Him to renew my strength. This is what I do, this has become my lifestyle; this is the only way I know.
This morning my lifestyle of dependence and devotion dictated that I reach for my Bible. And this morning a spark reignited my heartsong. The spark was “For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth]we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]” (John 1:16 AMP). Amazing, isn’t it?
When life throws us curveballs, it is normal to want to disappear; to allow ourselves go under from the weight of the waves. But this isn’t His best for us, it’s not His will that we give up and allow our heartsong go silent forever. His will for us is clearly spelled out in Matthew 11:28-30 where He declares; “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-20 (MSG)
Our heartsong beats in tandem with the unforced rhythms of grace. But we risk silencing this forever if we run away from Him rather than consistently to Him. We risk silencing our heartsong when we lose our consistency of getting away with Him.
Yes sometimes, you remain consistent but yet you do not hear the soulful hum or feel the spark in your heart. Why? Could it be that our Master is tuning His instruments as He prepares to play a newer healing tune? Could it be that He is waiting for the resonance of your heart to sync with the resonance of Heaven? I don’t know. What I do know is that when I did not forsake my lifestyle of pressing into Him, I found my heartsong healing spark. Praise God, again my heartsong has begun to echo the unforced rhythms of superabundant grace I have received and today I am whole again.
You can reignite your heartsong again, right now even. Simply run to Him, get away with Him and press into Him each day consistently. Be expectant and you will hear the opening notes as soft as the flapping of an angels wings.