As I sit in the silence,
I hear You whisper, “I am here”
I open my eyes and gaze around the room
“Where?” I whisper back,
“Where are You? I can’t feel You”

A great peace fills my heart
Overwhelmed by Your presence, I fall to my knees
“Right here—next to you and in you,” I hear You speak,
Your voice like a rushing waterfall, falling on and over me

I close my eyes and bow my head low
All my past sins and regrets come rushing back
“I don’t deserve You to draw near
I don’t deserve the honor of being in Your presence,” I say with honesty

Suddenly, I feel as if I am being embraced
I feel Your love
Your arms, Your peace surround me

“You are forgiven.
You are not your mistakes; you are not what you have done.
I have taken it all away.
Go, and know you are redeemed and loved.
Go, knowing I am always here, even when you can’t seem to feel me.
I am here—My arms are always around you,
Holding you, loving you, carrying you and comforting you,”
I hear You whisper tenderly

Tears begin to fill my eyes
“Lord I don’t know what to say….”
I pause for a moment and say the only thing I can speak:
“Thank You, Jesus
Thank You for forgiving me”

I feel Your embrace tighten around me
I feel Your deep and true love surround me
Not just on the outside, but on the inside, too

I realize that You have been with me this whole time
You have never left my side
All I needed to do was be still
I have been so caught up in the rush of life—
so caught up in the stress—
I lost touch with You
I blamed You,
Saying that You were distant and removed
But, no

In reality—
All I needed was to be still
To listen for Your voice
To forget the rush and busy of this world and
To lean back into Your arms
To listen
To repent
To be held and loved by You

As I’m still on my knees on the ground,
I no longer feel empty and void
I feel filled—

Filled to the brim
Filled with hope
Filled with peace
Filled with You

I am
Forgiven
Redeemed
Loved
Chosen
and
Seen

By a God who isn’t distant or removed
By a loving Father who wants a relationship with you
Will you let Him speak to you?
Will you listen for His voice?
Will you accept His forgiveness?
Will you be still and listen?

In the end, it is your choice,
But He wants to speak to you
He longs to be with you
He is with you

Sometimes
You just need to do the opposite of what you want to do
Sometimes
You need to be still and know that He is God
Sometimes
You need to be reminded to listen—
Not just pray and speak,
But to listen for His voice—
To listen for what He wants to say to you

Will you make time in this busy life
To rest for a moment with your Father?
Will you take a moment to surrender?
Will you take a moment to soak in His incredible love for you?
The choice is yours