A Voice In The Wilderness

I don’t know his name… but You do, Lord.  I don’t know his pain… but You do, Lord.

I don’t know his way out… but You do, Lord.  You ARE The Way.

And on some deep level, he knows it.  That’s why he cried out to You, in his wilderness, when he was at the end of his rope.

I heard him, Lord, along with… how many others?  Thousands?  Millions?  I was listening to today’s “installment” of the Daily Audio Bible.  A great phone app I downloaded this year.

Daily readings from Your Word — Old and New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs.  And a prayer led by DAB’s creator. People can also call to record a praise report or prayer request.  A few are aired each day.

I don’t often stay for this… but today, I did.  So I heard this man’s desperate voice, crying out to You from his wilderness.

And I remembered the time I did the same.

It was long before personal computers and cell phones.  Long before the Internet.  I was alone, in the sanctuary of an historic — but vacant — Spanish mission in West Texas.

It was 11:00 PM.  The door was unlocked.  I thought, “It’s a sign!”  I was looking for a reason to stay alive.  I had decided to “try” You, God.  A first for me.  You were my Last Chance.

The door was unlocked, but… was Anybody home?

The building was dark, except for a tiny light near the altar.  I cried my guts out there and declared, “God, if You exist, then You need to help me… because I will not survive if You don’t.”

I sensed You were near.  I got that part right.  But I got the next part terribly wrong.

I thought:  You heard me.  You knew exactly who I was.  What had happened to me in my life.  And everything I had done.  I was sure You slammed the door in my face.  Because I was not worth Your time.

I know, Lord.  I was totally wrong about You and what was in Your heart for me that night. But that’s how I felt — not worth Your time.  How could I imagine You would feel differently?

I left more hopeless than ever.  But something was set in motion that night.  Something real and true that I would only discover later.

“… the Lord… richly blesses all who call on Him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'”  (Romans 10:13)

No one else knew I cried out to You that night.  No one else needed to…

… because You knew, Lord.

You heard my prayer… and You began to answer.  Not obviously.  Not all at once.  In fact, it’s a miracle I survived the wildernesses that still lay ahead.

But You’re the Miracle Maker.  The Promise Keeper.  And You’ve been keeping this — and every — Promise to me ever since!

As You will… for the one I heard cry out to You today.

Gratefully alive and richly blessed,

Abba’s Girl

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