-The Invisible Realities-

I long for the Lord

more than sentries long for the dawn,

yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

-King David

I stand tall on the rocks above the sea and the wind whips my hair. I breathe deeply, lifting my chin, shutting my eyes, and pondering that beautiful water. Sometimes I feel like the sea. So many other people have drawn the parallel, but how true it is... one's heart can toss just like the waves of the ocean! Where are they going; what are they doing, those busy waves? Tempestuous, like a heart can be. I scan the horizon, and my heart reaches out for something... What?

"What are you longing for?"

Says a voice at my side. I don't turn to see who asked the question, because I know who it is. I smile quietly, acknowledging His invisible presence. Inviting Him to share the moment with me. I'm glad He's here on the rocks with me. How long had He been standing here? I feel a little ashamed by His probing question. It feels a little more like a gentle rebuke than a query. Why?

"I'm longing for a lot of things."

For a while, thoughts tumble in my mind; thoughts birthed by His question. He kneads them around like a Baker kneading dough with a firm, skilled hand. Finally, they meld into one phrase; one I've read in Psalms:

My soul finds rest in God alone.

His question, again: "What are you longing for?"

"I forgot it again, Lord; but I guess I was longing for You. You know that I am incomplete unless my soul is at rest in Your embrace."

That's what He wanted me to remember. He reaches out and grasps my hand. I can't feel the hold, but I know He's grasping it tightly. He smiles at me, and even though I can't see His smile, I smile back. I want to cry, because this barrier between spirit and flesh makes Him feel so far away. But I know that someday it will be abolished, and then I will realize that He was the invisible Reality in every moment of my life, whether I felt it or not. He tells me that he loves me, and I can not hear Him say it. But I know it.

And even though it doesn't erase the longing, even though the longing seems to intensify and fill my heart as if the waves might overflow, I know there will be a time when I'll "feel" it more than I do now. And until then,

...He loves me.

He loves me.

And wow; that's enough.