Perspective

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing.

 Zephaniah 3:17

I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Hebrews 13:5 

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending a three day women's retreat.  Going into the retreat I had no idea what to expect.  Others who have gone before tell you nothing.  Although this can be received negatively, it is designed to not take away from your personal experience.  It would be like reading the last chapter of a book before you started the book or seeing the last ten minutes of a movie before watching it from the beginning.  Oh, you still get the whole picture, but  you miss out on so much.

It reminded me of how we want to know every detail of our lives, but God reveals only one piece at a time.  We struggle because if we only knew more we could be so much more productive for the Lord or so that is what we tell ourselves.  God isn't concerned about our productivity.  He wants us, all of us.  The very things God has established for our protection we see as hindrances.  His commandments were never meant to place us in bondage; they were to free us.  Free us to live our lives abundantly for Him.  It is our perspective that makes the difference.

This weekend I heard someone share about the death of their unborn baby.  Tragic, absolutely.  However, the speaker said something that stuck with me "it wasn't a waste in the womb for nine months" because the baby is in heaven.  It wasn't a waste to that child.  It is our perspective.

At one moment during the weekend each lady was given a small silver ring.  As it was being handed to us we were told to take it as a symbol of God's love for us.

It reminded me of the first time I was given a ring that was a symbol of love but it really did not mean anything.  At the exact moment I was given the ring and remembering the past, I hear the worship leader sing, "I will never leave."  Something I knew but hit me in a new way.  God would not leave me as I had been left before; this ring truly meant something.  I later went to the lady who was singing and shared all of this.  She looked at me and said she did not sing that but "I will never be."  She then told me that it was God singing in my ear.  I chuckled that God was singing in a female voice--S.C.'s voice.  As I walked away I began to think about it.  What was my perspective going to be?  Was I going to blow it off?  Had I heard her incorrectly?   Did I imagine it?  No, I heard exactly what I needed to hear at the very moment I needed to hear it.  In about ten seconds all of this took place, but was one of the most profound things I have ever experienced.  I have never experienced God "singing" over me, but this past weekend in a beautiful soprano voice with words that were clearly understandable I heard God sing,

"I WILL NEVER LEAVE."