Graves Into Gardens Devotional

Ever faced a vast army? Have you walked alone down your driveway to see an angry mob glaring back at you waiting for you to cross the residential boundary line so they could attack? Would you turn around and run back inside? The story in 2 Chronicles describes a vignette like this and is the inspiration behind the song Battle Belongs. The people of God find themselves facing a war they cannot win without help.  In 2 Chronicles 20, one of my favorite stories in the Bible, a huge army has amassed to come against the people of God," Wickham explains. "Every time I sing Battle Belongs, it pumps me up because we know that in anything we might face, our God is bigger. I hope this song reminds people that He is with us and for us. If we stand firm and hold our position, we will see the salvation of the Lord on our behalf!"  - Phil Wickham We have been facing a pandemic for some time now, and it isn't the virus. The most common presenting issue in my counseling office is anxiety, along with the unbearable feeling of being alone. Unbearable aloneness is the current crisis we face. We may be a part of community groups, bible studies, ministry teams, surrounded by others, and yet, feel lonely. Surrounded by people and still feeling alone seems incongruent. But it is sadly common and very understandable. Aloneness is the vast army many of us face.  I will feel alone, not just in the absence of people around me, but when the people around me don't know who I am. Ask yourself: who knows me? Who knows me at my best along with the side of myself when I am compromised? Does my compromised self stay hidden? When you feel anxious, angry, or disappointed, are you alone in those moments?  At any given time, we can be our best selves or our worst selves. In my work, I notice that we often feel uncared for when we are showing up less than our best selves. When we are afraid that we won't be heard, accepted, or understood, we don't allow others to see behind the curtain of our one-dimensional "Instagram-worthy" personas. We hide from the potential for criticism or judgment. We present only the parts of ourselves that we decide are worthy of being known. We are often validated to keep offering only the good because we experience the same criticism and judgment we fear when we show up compromised.  In 2 Chronicles 20, it says "You will not have to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf". – Phil Wickham Do we hold to the distorted belief that we can only bring our best selves to worship? Isn't the better way to hope that our faith communities would be safe for us to show up no matter what? Sadly, many are not. People who have been hurt by church communities often end up in offices like mine. They have been minimized, victimized, and shamed because they risked showing more vulnerable parts of themselves and faced rejection or invalidation. They heard hollow, spiritually sounding phrases; vain attempts meant to offer hope but left them feeling broken and damaged. Hurting people are told to, "cast all their cares onto Jesus," "trust He has a plan," or that "God is using this season to grow you." There is truth in these words, but if we over-spiritualize distress, we serve to protect only ourselves from our discomfort witnessing someone else's pain. If I offer you some spiritual platitude when you bring me your pain, I only create distance between us, and you are left feeling alone with it.  For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. – 2 Chronicles 20:12 Unbearable aloneness is the crisis we face today.  Why are we not brave enough to be with another while they are in pain? Please resist the temptation to rush in to fix, to offer some empty spiritual words; instead, allow each other space to be in it. My Christian clients are often very relieved to hear that they can feel an emotion from beginning to end, and it doesn't mean they are not "trusting" in the Lord. I have witnessed the great misconception or belief that rewards and commends chasing after emotions like joy or peace but criticizes all negative emotional experiences.  What if we stopped being afraid of emotions…both the ones that reside in ourselves and the ones we witness in someone else? What if we humanized emotion? By our very design, God gives us the neurobiological mechanisms to have feelings and respond to His creation.  We can be in awe. We can feel joy. We know sadness.We feel anger … and we can be disappointed, hurt, and betrayed.  All of this is what it means to be human: we feel. Emotions show up in our bodies, wired into our physiology. When we pay attention or notice them, they do come and go like waves come and go. Pathologizing people as "too emotional" or labeling emotions as good or bad feeds loneliness. Emotions exist to help us experience the world God created.  But now, this is what the Lord says- he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze; For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. – Isaiah 43: 1-3 Unbearable aloneness is like a vast army standing against us. When faced with profound loneliness, our Father says: I will be with you! It is a battle cry, your war song. Wherever I am, in the middle of the storm, falling from the mountain top or dragging myself across the desert wasteland. My God is with me…undoing my aloneness. In the face of the loneliness experienced globally, knowing that He chooses to be close to me even when I am at my worst, is deeply encouraging.  Imagine the healing possibilities for us if we could be with one another in our pain, sorrow, and disappointment and undo the aloneness so prevalent in our world.    Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) at Shoreline Counselling in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. Battle Belongs © 2020 Phil Wickham Music, Simply Global Songs, Sing My Songs (Admin by Essential Music Publishing) Bethel Music Publishing CCLI Song No. 7148126. 

I have a confession. I don't read my Bible the same way I listen to my favorite audible series. I don't read my Bible the way I would choose my next "vacation" book. I don't anticipate getting lost in the storyline or caught up in my imagination while I do my morning run. The Bible isn't fiction.  Jesus doesn't have a podcast.The Holy Spirit isn't hosting a Livestream. The Father won't post His latest big idea on Instagram.  Not For Our Entertainment The Word of God isn't for our entertainment. It is for our benefit. Given to us to build our faith, enlighten us towards salvation, show us how to walk in freedom, help us endure through the darkness, reveal heaven's truths. The Word of God is our guide, our comfort, our source of spiritual nourishment. The words of God point us to the person of Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven.  For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4) For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16) Are We Captivated and Hungry? If restoration in my life comes through His story, why am I not more captivated and hungry to devour it? Has it become so familiar that I am no longer fascinated by the chapters? I know what's coming next; I turn a page and have a sense I have been here before. Some of the passages are so familiar, I skim through, no longer in awe, or surprised, or moved the way I used to be - back when the story was "new" and the revelations more inspiring. Because of this familiarity, the surface reading of memorized verses and Bible stories effortlessly recalled - this is why we worship! Why We Worship Worship bypasses our human tendency to seek entertainment over devotion. Worship breaks the spell of our monotonous scrolling, podcast perusing, the leisurely downloading of information on iPads, tablets, or cell phones. Worship is our reset button, like flipping a circuit breaker, bringing our hearts online.  Worship awakens our senses and tunes us into the person of Jesus. As we worship, our hearts open, our minds soften, and we become more aware of His presence and the profound influence of His words. Knowing, feeling, experiencing Him in this way adds new color, texture, and truth to reading His Word.  King Of Kings King of Kings is packed phrase by phrase with Scripture. Line by line, we can sing the restoration story of the church, the gift given in the person of Jesus and the Holy Spirit's ministry, all the hope in the gospel. Worshipping through each verse, we sing of how the gospel of Christ stretches across eternity. Our lives are mere phrases in the storyline, and we stand with an army of believers generation after generation: we, the body of Christ on earth.  Praise forever to this King of Kings, who began a story that we will tell forever and ever. "King of Kings is packed full of theology — theology releases praise. When we believe correctly about God, when we understand and get a greater revelation of who God is and what He's done, we can't help but respond in worship." – Brooke Ligertwood  *By the way, in case you ever wondered if King Of Kings is a song inspired by the Word of God, here is a line-for-line reference:  In the darkness, we were waiting (Colossians 1:13)Without hope without light (Ephesians 2:12)Till from heaven, You came running (Luke 1:79)There was mercy in Your eyes (Matthew 9:36)To fulfill the law and prophets (Matthew 5:17-18)To a virgin came the Word (Matthew 1:18)From a throne of endless glory (Philippians 2:6-7)To a cradle in the dirt (Luke 2:6-7)Praise the Father (1 Peter 1:3-4)Praise the Son (Ephesians 1:3)Praise the Spirit three in one (2 Corinthians 13:14)God of glory (Psalm 24:10)Majesty (1 Chronicles 29:10-12)Praise forever to the King of Kings (Jude 1:25)To reveal the kingdom coming (Daniel 4:34-35 and 7:18)And to reconcile the lost (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)To redeem the whole creation (Romans 8:21-23)You did not despise the cross (2 Corinthians 8:9)For even in Your suffering (Luke 22:41-43)You saw to the other side (Hebrews 12:2)Knowing this was our salvation (Luke 4:43)Jesus for our sake You died (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)And the morning that You rose (Mark 16:9)All of heaven held its breath (1 Peter 1:11-12)Till that stone was moved for good (Matthew 28:2)For the Lamb had conquered death (Acts 2:24)And the dead rose from their tombs (Matthew 27:52)And the angels stood in awe (Psalm 89:7-8)For the souls of all who'd come (Matthew 27:51 and Hebrews 10:19-39)To the Father are restored (1 Peter 2:24)And the Church of Christ was born (Acts 2:42)Then the Spirit lit the flame (Acts 2:1-4)Now this gospel truth of old (Genesis 3:15, Genesis 22:8, Isaiah 53, Daniel 7:9-10) Shall not kneel shall not faint (Romans 1:16-17)By His blood and in His Name (Acts 4:12)In His freedom I am free (2 Corinthians 3:17)For the love of Jesus Christ (1 John 3:1)Who has resurrected me (Colossians 3:1-4, John 11:25, Romans 6:5 and 8:11)   Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) at Shoreline Counselling in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. King Of Kings was written by Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood, and Jason Ingram.  *The Falls Church Anglican; by church member, "King of Kings" Worship Article, Oct 5, 2019. www.tfcanglican.org/consider-this/2019/10/5/king-of-kings. Accessed March 6, 2021.

I woke up angry. Hurt, disappointed and angry. I also have a deadline. I am supposed to be writing about the love of God in Christ alone. So ironic. How do I connect to the love of God with the emotion of anger coursing through my veins? Today is a very human kind of day where no one filled the dishwasher or offered to help with the groceries. Someone borrowed the car and brought it home empty. The garbage cans are still sitting at the end of the driveway, and it was garbage day four days ago.  Someone took the last bit of coffee cream, leaving me with skim milk.  I could share this with someone. I could weave this tale with a friend or post something in an eerily passive way on social media. I would see those likes and comments of validation, knowing that others share or at least understand my emotions.  Here's the thing. None of that would transform my hurt, soften my disappointment or soothe my anger. For a few moments, I would feel great.  I'm sure one of my besties would come alongside me and say,  "heck ya, that wasn't very respectful to you!" Or, "how dare they do that!! You sure do have a right to be mad! I would be mad too!" My chin would jut out, my shoulders would drop down, and I would stand taller, feeling vindicated and understood. ... for about ten minutes.  And then, suppose there is no resolution to the initial hurt? Suppose I have to continue interacting with all of the "someones" who are a part of my irritation?  I could so easily pick up my hurt and disappointment the moment I am in their presence.   Sharing this pain for the world to hear will not clear the fog away to connect with the love of God, and it will not heal my heart.  When I am wrestling internally, I know I need the perspective of someone who both loves me and loves me enough to tell me the truth. My end goal is to have authentic, meaningful, loving connections with my people. To see and be seen and to be accepted and supported.  I have learned not to sit in emotional dark places alone. The darkness is where unresolved hurt festers. Instead, I go to my quiet place where Jesus waits with me.  This is a loose transcript of a typical conversation: Me:    I am pretty mad Jesus:  I see thatMe:  Ok, more than mad ... I am angry Jesus:  I knowMe:  I want them to know how hurt I am Jesus:  Tell me ... I know them well ... they might not be able to hold your hurt, but I can.Me:  I think it would feel better if they knew how they hurt me.Jesus:  Because you want them to hurt too?Me:  (busted) Maybe ... I am just so frustrated that my bones ache. I always have to be the first to make amends ... so, not this time. I am going to hold out.Jesus:  OK, I will wait with you.  (Pausing in His presence) How does a conversation like this continue for you? Does the voice of Jesus in your head condemn you for feeling this way? Does He quote some Bible verse about "not letting the sun go down on your anger" or forgiving your brother and "turning the other cheek?" Does Jesus sit and stare at you with judgment in His eyes?  This is the real, rusty and relevant, rubber hitting the road of relationships. Relationships are messy and often reactive. Maybe you and your spouse always get along. Maybe your children are always respectable, obedient, and lovely -- both privately and publicly. Maybe you don't ever say something out loud you later regret?  Maybe your family is free of awkward moments of discomfort and conflict? Maybe it is just us? Maybe my ordinary, messy life is not typical?  I know that isn't true. I know I am not alone because I work with people whose lives are messy.  Every day people are constantly falling into pits that they dug for themselves, and then they experience heartache and disappointment. I sit across from them while they tell me their stories of pain. I witness them telling of trauma histories that have turned my stomach in knots. Then, through empathy, I start to feel anger and deep sadness for the victims. I feel their pain. I know the ache of a human heart that lives with hurt, disappointment, and loss. I also know it is not enough to undo our aloneness or to feel understood -- we need to experience transformation. Healing and wholeness can so often feel just out of reach.  We need to know the power of Christ in us.  I can help others feel through the waves of their emotion and allow them to linger longer in the peace that comes when the waves cease. But Jesus is our Peace. He is the calm in our storms.  He is so passionate about pursuing us to bring heaven to earth, so we experience the transformation of our hearts and minds. When I allow the power of His resurrection to course through my veins, something shifts inside me.  His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3) His power in us is the life-giving grace that floods our burdened hearts with peace, grace, and long-suffering. His power living in us allows our hurting hearts to lay down the pain and take up hope in restoration and repair. We have everything we need in Him.  He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me on the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. (Psalm 18:16-19) Lean into this truth. Jesus offers us the gift of His presence for eternity. What is the end goal of Jesus? The restoration of all things and to have us near Him forever. He saves. He rescues us from our messy selves and places us in a safe space away from the darkness of our sin and pain.  Our hope is in Christ Alone. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) at Shoreline Counselling in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. In Christ Alone was written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. 

Standing in a grocery store line up, the woman ahead of me told the cashier, "I sure hope this virus doesn't stop us from taking our trip south!" I gave a small smile, hidden behind my mask, acknowledging the collective loss of trips, plans, and how many have had their hopes dashed. Something about the phrase rattled around inside my brain. It had nothing to do with the pandemic but how we use the word 'hope.' Hope is overused, oversimplified, and watered down. We hope it doesn't rain on the weekend of our backyard party. We hope we make it to the gas station or the store before the mall closes.  We hope our Amazon purchases arrive on time. There is zero confidence connected to this use of the word hope.  Someone gets terrible news... "Oh, I hope they are ok." What do we mean? Something about this feels hollow. These everyday uses of hope feel like pleas into thin air; this kind of hope lacks substance, becoming mere wishful thinking. It sounds a bit whiny, if I was honest, and we've heard it and said it countless times over.  Merriam-Webster's definition of hope, "to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true," makes hope seem closer to a wish. More often, when we use 'hope', we wish or desire something to change, improve, and suit us better.  Compare that hope with the heavenly Hope found in Jesus. Biblical hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised.  But those who hope in the Lord[a strong and confident expectation]will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) Sit and reflect on this for a moment. When we sing the verse "Jesus Christ, my living hope", I have to believe, this hope is something I can trust. Heavenly Hope was born in a barn, crucified and three days later, was resurrected. Heavenly Hope resides within us. His Hope rests on us like a weighted blanket. Our spirits groan inwardly knowing His presence is close by. We are renewed by this hope and in this hope, we can trust.  Now faith is confidence in what we hope [a strong and confident expectation] for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1, NIV) Worldly hope is wished for or comes by chance. Heavenly hope holds promise. The hope in scripture is strong, confident, and feeds our faith. Our watered-down uses of hope offer no guarantees. Biblical hope is a robust and confident expectation, resting with assurance in God's promises.  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope [a strong and confident expectation] for what we do not see, with perseverance [persistence, determination, insistence, resolution, tenacity, purpose], we wait eagerly for it. (Romans 8:24-25, NIV) A hope that is this confident and assured changes our waiting, softens our disappointment, and strengthens us when we suffer trials. When we have tasted and seen the goodness, faithfulness, and love of the Father, we have a different kind of hope for the future. We have glimpsed the glory and promises to come. Our steadfast hope rests on His promises for our salvation, redemption, and restoration.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23, NIV)  This hope is living in us. I can put all my eggs in this basket. I can drop my anchor here, ...in this, I can believe: The work is finished, the end is written, Jesus Christ, my living hope. We know that our lives before Him were lost and hopeless. Because we believe in His death and resurrection, we have a confident assurance that our life with Him will be forever. That's HOPE!  Not because of anything we have done, but all because of what He accomplished. He humbled himself, became a servant, died a criminal's death for you and for me. He took our place, nailing our sin with Him to that cross.  And now, because of this gift, we have eternal life. Hope allows us to hold fast and secure to the ending of the story. Our hope stands steady with the roar of the Lion who stepped out of the grave!  It's not simply a hope that the future is going to get better one day, but it's a hope that starts coming alive in our actions and our words and our plans and our dreams. It starts forming everything we are, so it becomes a living thing in us ... This unfathomable, uncrossable chasm between our unholiness and God's holiness, and how Jesus bridges that gap, burst into our darkness." - Phil Wickham (worshipleader.com) He is our living Hope! Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) at Shoreline Counselling in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. Living Hope was written by Phil Wickham and Brian Johnson.

I remember when the worship team first introduced the new song The Blessing. It was one of the last in-person weekend services before the first wave of COVID hit our area. As these powerful words reached our hearts, the Spirit moved profoundly through our auditorium. One by one, people stepped to the front of the church, hands raised, hearts opened to receive the gift in the blessing. The echo of this melody prepared our hearts for what was coming. We didn't know how much we needed to hear this. The timely reminder that His presence surrounds us; how He hems us in both behind and beside.  While our world waged war with the invisible threat, The Blessing reminded us that through every hour of every day, our Father's face turns towards us. In the morning, in the eveningIn your coming, and your goingIn your weeping, and rejoicingHe is for you Thinking back how we basked in the radiance of His presence on that Sunday, I wonder if those sweet moments of tenderness mattered when the road became rocky? When we faced social distancing precautions as the unknown divided households, communities and countries. Facing disappointment, heartache, and fear did we lean towards hope in the promises of God? Were we comforted by the faithfulness of our Father who is for us? Or did our doubt and frustration spill out everywhere over everyone? Our God Is For Us When your kids can't graduate with their classmates, and your daughter cries herself to sleep. When your school moves to online classes and you fail pre-calculus because online learning is hard. When you have to homeschool your kids, yet don't know what the heck you are doing. When Zoom meetings give you headaches, and your office shuts down, leaving you without a paycheque. When the venue cancels your wedding, and your dreams go up in flames. When you don't meet for the holidays with your family, but notice your neighbours not following the public orders or precautions. With all the information and opinions online, you hardly sleep at night worrying about what to believe. During all that sadness, confusion and heartache, do you believe: He is for us? Our God Transforms Your Mourning In early 2020, collective grief and suffering fractured and divided our families, cities, and countries. We lost loved ones. We faced loneliness, disappointment, and restriction in our movements. Displaced from our pews and meeting centers, we faced sickness, death, and the disorderly conduct of family, friends, and associates who aligned on one side or another regarding precautions, advisory notices, and public orders. We may have watched our frustration rise and fall, and seen the way fear ran through social media posts. We moved to smaller spaces and fewer faces, but the blessing of our God never diminished.   In the months that have passed, have we boasted in the hope of the glory of God? Did we glory in our sufferings? Did we share the hope of our Father's love...a love poured out for us? Or did we only mourn?  Please hear this ... mourning is healing. Rationalizing away hurt and disappointment is one of the great ruptures found in church communities. A belief that if we feel pain, we do not have faith. We don't have to invalidate the pain, to receive the blessing. We are not without faith if we acknowledge the losses around us. We are not without faith if we feel disappointed about the changes and adjustments our families have made in response to this global pandemic. But, we don't have to stay immobilized by pain either.  Our God Meets Us In The Middle Of The Mess What will you remember? Standing here in the middle space between The Blessing and our mourning of what is lost, will you remember the precious moments of singing about the radiance of His face turning towards you? Will you remember that He is for your children and your children's children? Will you remember that He turns our mourning to dancing? Will you take the brave and courageous steps to let your neighbors, work associates, and family know that they do not have to walk this journey without help? Peace in the midst of our disappointment and sorrow is possible -- not because we avoid or minimize the pain, but because we find peace in His presence. Hear this good word? The brilliance of the blessing is in the abundant, faithful love of the Father. Our Father in heaven turns His gaze towards us. Our circumstances do not change the blessing offered to us. When your circumstances blurry and muddy His plans and purposes and you are weary, He is for you. He is with you while you wander in the wilderness in the same way He is for you when you praise Him on the mountaintop. When you fall on your knees, head bowed in grief…He is for you. When you reach your arms to the heavens in gratitude, He is for you. Our circumstances do not change the heart of the Father…He is now and forever will be your more than enough. Our circumstances change, our God does not. Let this truth matter…take it in.  Our God Has Not Moved Entering into 2021, this promise in The Blessing still rings true. We need to hear words of a faithful God who moves towards us, not just in time of need, but because it is in His nature to be with us. We need to know that the Lord will go before us and hem us in as we move through the sometimes unbearable losses. Being in His presence is how we manage disappointment and regulate fear and anxiety. He is with us…the Prince of Peace is with us. Even when the world around us feels uncertain, we can experience peace in His presence. Spending time in peace, slowing down, and taking in that you are not alone with this…might be the shift you need to keep pressing through one more day. He pours His love into our hearts. Let it flow out of you towards the people in your sphere of influence. Our world changed in 2020. We may meet in different places, in smaller spaces, or over Zoom screens, but our God has not moved, nor is he limited. The world needs to know the blessing of our Father is for them. We can bring the hope and peace of His presence into the hurting places in our world. Where your influence extends, reach out with grace, mercy, and hope. Let the peace of God move through you and out into the world around you. Undoing aloneness is a powerful gift.   Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) at Shoreline Counselling in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. The Blessing, performed by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, and Elevation Worship was written by Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe, and Steven Furtick. It won the GMA Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year. The Blessing has been produced by various artists and languages all over the world. 

Ever felt like your soul was wandering in the wilderness or stuck in the frigid cold of a long winter season? Those days when your present moment circumstances fill up with anxiety or are littered with distraction. Grabbing your phone first thing in the morning to scroll through Instagram or scan Twitter, you notice the pang for a moment and then push it aside; His whispered invitation "I am here...just waiting for you to see me." Suddenly, you see the time, jump out of bed and begin getting ready for the day. And like yesterday, you fill your day with work, school, food ... and catching up on a few of your favorite episodes on Netflix, then climb restlessly back into bed.  Maybe your version of winter seasons or wilderness wanderings looks a little bit different. Perhaps for you, there is less Netflix, but more striving to be honored at your workplace, extra hours spent at the office, or that nagging critical self-talk: "This project is lousy, no one is going to pay attention." Or the wretched voice of comparison: "I am never going to be as good as them...I shouldn't even bother putting in the effort." (Honestly, giving in to "comparison" is one of the quickest ways to stay stuck in a winter season!) Winter seasons and wilderness wanderings leave us depleted, worn-out, and lonely.  Alone In the Wilderness Yet all the while, He is with us...waiting. We may not notice, but that doesn't change His truth. Our present moment circumstances hold us tightly to their focus, and we don't even see the disconnection from Jesus right away. We feel undone, unsettled and discontent.   Finding yourself alone in a wilderness or winter season is unnerving. One thing to remember, even if we can't predict their length, seasons do change. When we find ourselves stuck in the dreariness of the soul's dark, rainy winter seasons; tired, discontent, and disoriented, take a moment and be intentional to speak about the Father's unchanging character.  "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2 Goodness of God Ask the Holy Spirit to lift your eyes above your circumstances and take in the unchanging nature of the Father; notice that He is good, He is faithful, He is our strength when we feel weak. My circumstances do not change His character. He remains the same, yesterday, today, and all for all our tomorrows.  A song like Goodness of God calls out this truth of the Father's unchanging character. He is faithful, His mercy never fails, and He is present with us always. Singing this truth sets our hearts on the things above, becoming a welcomed break from the dreariness of winter wanderings. Noticing His nearness, speaking of God's faithfulness, and worshipping can shift seasons and at the very least give you the much-needed rest and resilience to keep pushing through the drought you are in.    Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) at Shoreline Counselling in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. Goodness Of God was written by Ed Cash, Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson, and Jenn Johnson. 

While walking in beautiful South Carolina along the May River, where majestic oak trees form canopies over the walkways, I drank in the spectacular views. Taking in each breath as I walked, I felt my entire nervous system settle. With each step, each intake of fresh air, I entered further into a place of rest. I whispered a prayer of gratitude for this time of rest. Finding rest is not easy. Biblical rest isn't a call to stop moving but an inclination towards settling on the inside. If you are prone to anxiety, you are well acquainted with the internal energetic waves or a sense of constant churning. Author Bonnie Gray calls rest "emotional honesty." We go to Him as we are...our tired, worn-out selves. We can be ourselves at best or ourselves at worst, but are invited close regardless. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28 Our Difference-Maker We have the confident assurance that Christ in us is how we can enter fully into rest. He is the difference-maker. He is our how and our why: How we find peace amidst the heartache. Why we can rise from the ash heap, and the reason we carry on through our weaknesses — the double-edged sword of the Kingdom. He is my strength when I am weak. His presence brings peace in the middle of my storms. Not in our strength alone, but because of who He is in us — Christ in us, the hope of glory. As chosen by God, we are loved by the Father and fully restored to Him through the cross. He has created us; we are His workmanship. Our identity in Him is one we can rest in without striving to prove ourselves or getting lost in climbing up the ladder of success. We can rest in Him. Go and Dwell "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." - Psalm 91:1 We are invited to dwell in the shelter of the Most High and go to Him for rest. Go and dwell. Dwell means to live in a specified place, to think, speak or write at length about a particular subject. We take our whole selves somewhere to remain. We don't pop in now and again…we dwell, remain, and linger longer. Tim Challies, a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Ontario, and co-founder of Cruciform Press, interviewed Richard Thompson and Jonny Robinson of CityAlight about their new music: "Our most recent hymn, Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me, took us 12 weeks to write. We dove deep into the idea of what it meant to have Christ dwell in us. What an incredibly profound, mysterious truth. It needed time. We wrote and rewrote the songs many, many times. We struggled for every word. If there are any songwriters reading this, we would encourage you to slow down. Your songs will be richer for it." Find rest in your writing. Slow down and notice God's presence surrounds you. Speak from that place of emotional honesty.    Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) at Shoreline Counselling in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. "Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me" was written by Jonny Robinson, Michael Farren, and Rich Thompson, and performed by CityAlight.