Vigilance

Every day I will bless you, and praise your name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:2

Of all the times and events in my life nothing has come close to the impact of being chosen by Christ. There is no comparison to having received the supernatural grace to be his own beloved. Even the idea of his love inebriates and enraptures the soul. I don’t believe that I am thinking too highly of my state in life, of my relationship with the Master, of my being a Christian. In reality, the circumstance of blessing is one that all Christians share with each other.

What our Lord has done for us is such that we scarcely begin to see beneath the surface of the great ocean of Spirit, yet it lies there silently waiting: it moves from the depths, stirring in our innermost heart. But that we might all desire to see God in such a way as to pray daily, in each moment of the day, “Maran atha! Come, Lord.” Only the soul thirsty for God can expect to find the living water.

My words are weak in expressing the glory that I instinctively know to be as near as my heartbeat. Each day as I walk out through my door to begin the day, with an ineffable sense of knowing, I am greeted by the Lord whom I serve—he who is the desire of my heart, the One to whom I sing my song of eternal love; for he assuringly whispers that he is the keeper of my soul, and I trust absolutely.

Being vigilant is as much a vigilance of awareness as it is a conscious staying near through holy actions, through the holy mingling of faith and works. Those who remain awake, those whose eyes are clear to see their God upon his arrival, are the ones whose hearts keep watch ever seeking and ever seeing the face of their Lord in every face they meet; knowing him revealed in the beauty of creation where the certainty of love's being is evident in his handiwork. Vigilance also means nurturing reverence and sobriety of soul, watching, waiting, desiring the love that is God's sweet presence, and settling for nothing less.

Each day my morning drive takes me a half an hour east before I turn north to finish my commute. Daily the sunrise breaks over the plains that lie ahead of me as I travel toward my day’s work. As the sun greets the morning sky so my heart greets the Lord. Yet another night has passed, and thank God he has made me to be his and granted me this day. The warmth of the sun reaches toward me and it serves as a reminder of God reaching toward his children. I think of the eternal morning, and the coming of the Lord. Like the light filling the darkness of the sky, so the Lord fills our hearts.

Although I must certainly wait until the eternal dawn to fully grasp God’s purposes for my life, I can glimpse a little now. We all have it within our grasp to search beneath the surface and catch glimpses of God's plan. Our God is not that far away; no, our Lord comes again and surprisingly he comes from not that far away. He is always as near to us as our hearts. He always beckons us to receive our share of the love he offers. It’s just a little below the depths, but when we begin to look the mystery of all mysteries unfolds and gracefully Jesus is revealed.

Thus, we are vigilant. We wait in the night, but we do so with wisdom realizing that the day of our Lord, like the ocean of Spirit just beneath us, is growing ever nearer.

Comments

[A reader]

Maranatha!

This rivals the Song of Solomon for depth and beauty and love. Print this out, Deacon Dan, to have read at your eulogy one day. It is the only easing there will be.

[Gabrielle]

Deacon Dan, could you tell us more sometime about the great ocean of Spirit beneath us, and what that means. I would really appreciate it.