"The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness.'"

These words,
recorded in faithfulness
t   h  o   u   s   a   n   d   s
of years ago,
reach a hand
through time to
strike a tuning fork
against my soul,
setting praise
ringing
inside me.
I tremble with
energy
which urges me
to shout, sing, dance, cry, compose, raise my hands in the air,
or simply fall to my knees
in awe of Him;
Saviour,
Father,
Lord-

the ever-present
c
a
n
d
l
e
on my darkest days-
the unfaltering needle
pointing me to
true north
when
a hundred different opinions
clamour for my ear-
the unending ocean
of grace
and forgiveness
in times when I seem to make
nothing
but wrong decisions-
the magnanimous provider
of exactly what I
need,
though I've done
nothing to deserve it.

The one and only
Lord,
who can name each
and every star,
is
somehow
also the one
who whispered "temple"
in the ear of
a hurting
and lonely girl
to remind her
that she is precious, beloved, irreplaceable, sacred, held dear, and never,
never* alone.
It is this
indescribable,
uncontainable,
amazing God
to whom I will be
grateful
for
e
         t
                 e
                         r
                                  n
                                            i
                                                    t
          ­                                                   y
for loving me
with an everlasting love,
and drawing me
with His loving kindness.

Amen.