He bends down to listen

I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!

I enjoy some great relationships with children.

Often, if they are having a tantrum,

If I can make eye contact with them,

and ask what's wrong,

they usually calm down and explain the trouble.

It's not that others don't elicit the same response,

or others didn't ask “What's wrong?”

It's just that I bend down and listen.

I fix things for them,

or help them,

as if they are the only one in the room.

They know this about me

and my presence, calms them.

When I read this scripture,

I get it.

“I love the Lord because he hears my voice

and my prayer for mercy.”

Like, he's not distracted keeping the earth spinning,

or helping someone's football team win;

he hears my voice.

And he understands,

things are hard,

and I need him.

I usually have a good rapport with kids in public

(that I've never met)

mainly because I get down on their level and speak to them.

Rarely will I talk with them from the height of an adult to a child.

When I bend down, I am instantly nonthreatening.

I am a friend.

Usually I am greeted with twinkling eyes, and a wide grin.

God does that for me.

And “Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!”

How cool is that.?.

I see many adults on their phones or otherwise distracted

by important things

while their child is feeling frustrated,

scared, insecure or overwhelmed,

so the child gets louder,

and more scared and helpless feeling.

God bends down and listens.

He hears my voice and my cry for mercy.

So peace comes over me.

His strength, wrapped up by the will of his love,

are present and focused on me.

I'm not even sure how that's possible,

but I know beyond a doubt that it's true,

so like David,

I will pray as long as I breath.

Fear is a lie

Fear is a lie
It's always about the next moment
(not the current one).
You ignore the current one
and all past moments,
where the Lord has been with you
and is with you.

And you imagine
He will not be in the next moment.
And perhaps,
you won't be able to handle it,
or He won't be able to handle it.

In my MRI, I was afraid.
The magnetic field was so strong
so disorienting I was terrified.

But I began to lean into God.
He walked with me through visions and dreams I'd had in the past.
At one point I thought "What is there to fear?
Death?"
God is there (just like here).
God will be with me on the way
(just like now).
It would be as unfounded as a baby fearing birth.
Mother is there the entire time.
And her arms await us after the trial ends.

Fear has no power,
it's a lie that God wont go with us.
Nothing shall separate us
from the love of God.
Nothing.

I never meditated on those words
or had revelation about them (until now).
God loves me
so He protects me.
God loves me
so He sustains me.
God loves me
so He comforts me.
God loves me
so He fights for me.
God loves me
so He guides me.
God loves me
so He redeems me.

He qualifies me
He strengthens me
He carries me
He consoles me
He attends to me
and He guards me
and He cherishes me
and He rejoices over me
and He will never leave me
and nothing can separate me from his love.
He is love,
His power is love,
all his ways toward me are love
all my trials are given boundaries
by His love
all my sorrows are met
by His love
all my fears are quieted
by His love
and nothing can separate me from his love.
Not pain
not radiation,
not weight gain,
not MRIs
not tamoxifen,
not injections,
not wrong diagnosis,
nothing can separate me from His love,
not slander,
not floods,
not bombs,
not job loss,
not insults
not tragedy,
noting in all creations,
in fact no power or principality,
can ever(!) separate me from His love.

And so I rest.