When all else is gone, He remains

September…..where did it go? Somehow I missed part of it – I think. The real question for the heart is this, in the midst of the chaos and busyness of September, did I remember Jesus?

I guess you could call it a down-side to working for yourself…if the workload gets heavy, you work more. Days off?? Really? What is that? Working only 8 hours? How would that feel once again? On the other hand, it is extremely gratifying to know that the work has been accomplished, you were dedicated to your task, and you succeeded at defeating the seemingly insurmountable tasks in front of you.

However, once the glow of virtual success had dimmed slightly, one must truly look inside. How high was the price paid to accomplish this? Was time with Jesus sacrificed for the sake of some quiet, uninterrupted time in the mornings? Where priorities re-arranged for the sake of getting the job done?

Unfortunately, I am not at that place yet where I can sit back and bask in the satisfaction of knowing that the goal was accomplished, the task completed, the goal met. I am, however, at a place where I know that I can achieve the daily goals I set and I am coming around to a place where I can find my words once again.

In light of this, though, I am forced to ask myself the hardest question of them all. Where did the words go? I have stared at this blank page several times, but it remained blank, much like my heart feels. As I was praying about this and after reading some advice from a cherished friend, the light switch came on. When things go wrong with the “things” in our lives (microwave, coffee maker, alarm clock, etc), where do we go for answers? We pull out the owner’s manual. As believers in the Almighty God, we have an Owner’s Manual so to speak as well (the Word of God). Granted, we are not the “owner” of this product, but we happen to know exactly Who is. So then the answer to the hardest question of all must be this: the words are in His keeping as He is the Author of Eternity. When I find no words of my “own,” it is then that I must rely on His.

To my heart that feels heavy and blank, I say this:

Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley (the valley of the shadow of death),
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

To my mind that wonders where the words have gone within my heart and if they will return, I say this:

Psalm 139
1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
a. Psalm 139:17 Or How amazing are your thoughts concerning me

Just remember that in the storm and in the night, His song is always with you. Regardless of the season in life, regardless of the depth of the darkness, and regardless of the silence within, He is still there. The Everlasting One remains. Timeless, unchangeable, ever faithful He remains.
And, when all else fails, read the Owner’s manual!