Arise My Love

Song of Songs 2:10 New International Version (NIV)

10 My beloved spoke and said to me,
    “Arise, my darling,
    my beautiful one, come with me.

My beloved did not use those exact words but he made his desire known.  He thought God wanted us to move to a remove part of Arkansas to work on a boy’s ranch.  He wanted me to leave my comfortable life – three bedroom brick house with fenced in yard for our boys, a large church congregation that loved us and so much more. They refinished the floors in the parsonage and painted my kitchen cabinets green. Did I mention we had a three bedroom brick house?

The 3 bedroom brick house.

God blessed me with a very similar house that I gave up over three years earlier when we began this journey of following the Shekinah Glory of God.  We did not have a cloud by day or a fire by night, but God had led us out of our comfort zone to follow Him in ministry. 

I did not want to go.  Being the spiritual person I assumed myself, I agreed to pray about it.  My Utmost for His Highest was and is my favorite devotional.  Beginning February 10 through February 18, it seemed that Oswald Chambers had my number. 

  • Is your imagination of God starved? Talked about idols (my house and those beautiful floors?)
  • Feb. 11 – is your hope in God faint and dying? Bringing every thought into captivity to begin with –
  • then about Feb. 16th the arise mantra kicked in.
  • Feb. 16 Arise from the dead – talked about when the Spirit of God comes in and says, in effect, “buck up,” we find that the initiative is inspired.  Life comes after we do the bucking up. 
  • Feb. 17th – Arise and eat – example of Elijah being depressed – arise and obey do the natural thing. 
  • Then Feb. 18th – Rise, let us be going.  Trust God absolutely and pray on the ground of his redemption. 

Ok, God, I don’t understand it, I don’t like it, I don’t even think it is best for us, but you are asking me to trust you. So, I started packing.

Rise, let us be going – Matt. 26:46

Jesus speaking to his disciples who went to sleep while he was in agony in Gethsemane.  They were in despair and could not lift themselves out.

Our “frame” house in Arkansas

Are in you despair? Maybe you didn’t have to move to Arkansas and leave your beautiful house.

Maybe your circumstances are much worse. 

That relationship that has fallen apart? 

The diagnosis that came out of the blue?

Your husband’s job – your promotion? 

Disappointment in a child, a spouse, a parent?

We despair when we keep our eyes on the situation and take them off our faithful Father God.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  He will never take his eyes off of us. 

Psalm 121:5-8  5The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6the sun will not harm you by day; nor the moon by night.  7The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; 8the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

Yes, God did have his eyes on us and many more moves and adventures filled our lives with joy.  We continue to celebrate the joy of the Lord in our lives. 

Bluff of Buffalo River view from our “frame house” at the boys ranch.

Remember

He will never take his eyes off of you.

So, trust Him!

Arise My Love by Newsong

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Pat from Georgia

Pat Strickland is a wife, mother, grandmother and daughter of the King of Kings. She has been a pastor’s wife, a registrar at Young Harris College and a memoir writer. Her desire is “to seek God with all my heart and He will provide the much more in my life.”

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