I am now convinced that Your nearness, O God, is the reason You whisper. What need have You to speak above the gentleness of Your breath when You are so close? In the silence, Your voice is comforting company. In the busyness,  it is peace and calm. Truly, where can I go from Your Presence? You triumphantly reveal that as I call upon You and pray, You listen. Thank you! I seek You and I find You when I search from the depths of my heart (Jeremiah 29:12-13). Behold, there You are waiting for me to look up. I am looking up.

In this season of loneliness, I rejoice to discover just how near and present You are, O God of my redemption. How wonderful is the One who takes me in! Who does not abandon nor forsake me. Who is “a shield about me. My glory and the One who lifts my head” (Psalm 3:3). You continuously remind me who I am: a daughter of the Living God.

Though I feel the great pain of loss and sometimes struggle to breathe in the loneliness, my love and hope in You is unwavering. Your Word has never been more comforting and reliable. I am growing in greater knowledge of the mysteries of God, namely the beauty of grace. As I walk through this valley of deep darkness and death, I am amazed by the life that is sprouting within me. How can there be life in death? But this is the Gospel of Jesus who conquered death! As the man after God’s heart declares, “darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day” (Psalm 139:12). Therefore, I must declare with great praise that my darkness is Light and Jesus is the source of my life.