Have you been paying attention to how amazing God is in the clarity of His answers to our general questions?
The other morning I asked Him what He wanted me to do that day ~ my usual plan has been to attend Aqua fit classes three mornings a week ~ admittedly I was feeling very much as if I hadn’t been spending quality time with Him or my duties in my sphere of influence. However, I still wanted to go to the pool…
I was enjoying my quiet time on the loveseat with coffee, notebook and my Bible, rearranging paper, asking Him the Question, when my Bible slid off the arm of the loveseat and plopped, open into my lap. Now I am not a point and read kind of girl but here is the underlined verse my eyes landed on:
“And you shall be called Sought Out.” Isaiah 62:12
My heart! My heart just melted within me as I realized He, the Mighty God, Lord of All Creation is seeking after me, and He wants time spent with me.
“To perfume and prepare me for service.”
His words come as He seeks and finds me listening, “Be still, hush, quiet, slow down. Know Me as your God, as your Salvation and Redeemer. Be still My child. Be still.
I know your desires and I know My plans and purposes for you. Be still ~ allow the alignment of your will, desires and dreams to click in place with the plans of the Spirit I have for you.
Be still. Can you see how close you are? Be still, you will hear the click of the alignment.
Be still for I seek after you, I desire you in My Presence. I have sought you out and marked you as My Beloved, I have sought you out as one who loves Me and longs to be of service to Me.
Do you have any idea Child, how much it pleases Me, pleases My heart when My childrens’ deepest longings and desires are to be of service to Me? That is why I have called you Sought Out. Will you yield and will you surrender? Will you say, “Here I am? Send me!”
You can only go if I have prepared you. That is why I say, “Be still.” I search your heart. I love getting to know you, watch as you walk in the ways I have taught you. I take great delight as you present yourself to Me. Truly, your presence is a precious gift to Me.
Come, for I have called you Sought Out. I have already found you, and now I am calling you out. Now I am putting my finger upon your life and saying, “Jeannie, Gracious Gift, I have called you Sought Out. I know where you are, but I long to hear your heart and thus I seek you out.”
“I don’t want to worship from a distance, Lord; I want to come into Your holy place where holiness dwells. Cleanse my heart by the Blood of Jesus. I ask You to forgive my sin that I might enter, whiter than snow and yet dripping red ~ You have harboured me Lord, kept me in a safe place in the midst of the storms of life.
You seek me out. I have no gift to bring my King save for a heart that longs for You. I seek You out, Lord; I seek to know the essence of You. What constitutes Your beautiful fragrance, what constitutes your heart? I want to know.
I am undone, for how shall I ever touch Your holiness ~ how shall I ever gaze upon Your fiery brilliance… Father, thank You. You understand that I keep wondering, “What about me? What about me, what is my purpose? It seems to be the question of my life. What about me, Lord, what is Your plan and purpose for me?
And in part, Your answer is, “I have called you Sought Out.” My purpose is found right next to Your heart.
Romans 9:18 tells me You have had mercy for me. I receive Your mercy O God that You have laid up for me. I receive Your mercy.
You reveal my heart in verse 20 ~ “Will you say to Him who formed you “Why have you made me like this?”
The Potter has power over me ~ He has chosen to make me a vessel for honour.
Romans 9:23 is telling me that You want to make known to me, ~ a vessel of mercy ~ the riches of Your glory ~ You long ago prepared me to be a vessel who carries Your glory for Your honour and glory.
His words whisper to my heart again, “ I have called you Sought Out, Sought One, My Beloved, I have made you for Myself”
2 Timothy 2:21 ” Therefore, Jeannie, because you have repented and drip red with the Blood of Jesus, you will be a vessel for honour, sanctified, set apart (because I have called you Sought Out) and you are useful to Me, your Master, prepared for every good work.”
You are prepared because you have allowed yourself to be the Sought One.
You have allowed stillness to be active in your life so that you would see My hand and My power at work on your behalf. Powerful.
As My servant, you will pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on Me with a pure heart. You will not be alone; you will be with those I have called you to serve with. As My servant, you will be gentle to all; you will teach. You will be patient, walking with humility and with gentleness correcting those in opposition.
When I call you “Sought One” it means I want to be in your presence Child. Our relationship is ongoing, it is built upon the bricks of truth and revelation is the mortar.”
Bending low before Him,
Jeannie
Linking up with http://womenwithintention.com/
I have been reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World recently, and “Be still” keeps playing on my heart. This post nails it on the head! Thank you so much for sharing this! Stopping by from the Women with Intention Link Up! -Jess
Thanks for visiting Jess! It is precious to know that when we are still we can recognize the hand of God at work in our lives. It is in that place of abiding and rest where we bear the most fruit too!
Jeannie – the reverence and awe of your words was tangible. Isn’t it so incredible when we bow our hearts before God and He meets us there – literally knocks us off our feet! He is such a gracious God to seek us out and then draw so intimately near to us. Thank you for sharing your hearts experience before Him. Blessings!
Tiffany, thanks for visiting! Sometimes I can’t sit in that same place without feeling that reverence and awe of His presence. I know He is too big to do the same thing twice, but oh, how my heart longs for Him to show up again in the ways He has. Thank you for sharing with me that you felt the tangibility of my words. Blessings to you today!
Oh my goodness Jeannie, this is so beautifully written. Your words touched my soul. I have been struggling in my relationship with God. I feel like I have failed Him in so many ways because there is so little I can do for Him. Thank you for reminding me how much He loves me. How much He loves all of His children.
You have not failed Him Kristina, He loves you with an everlasting love. A love far greater than our ability to comprehend but I pray the Lord would open your eyes to see how wide, deep and long it is. I am so glad to know this ministered to your soul! Blessings to you.
“Sought out…” This is beautiful and a verse I do not recall right now so will be returning to Isaiah tonight. What a privilege to be sought out. Oh, what a God we serve.
You are a neighbor at “Women with Intention” and wanted to come by…glad I did. I have been encouraged, Jeannie.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda
Linda, sometimes those small treasures in the word seem hidden until one day, unexpectedly, the Lord opens our eyes and our hearts. So glad to know you were encouraged in your visit and I hope to see you again soon. Blessings!
Thanks, Jeannie. I needed that. I suspect that other members of our Christian Poets & Writers group on Facebook will welcome this too, so I’ll highlight your post on the blog – http://www.christianpoetsandwriters.com. God bless.
Thanks Mary! It refreshes me to know I was obedient in the posting of it! It’s great to be found, fully known and completely loved!
Deep, profound, lovely… what a beautiful vessel of beauty you are dear Jeannie…thank you that you teach, exhort and encourage us through your experiences with Abba.
We need to each be standing in our places, Mary. Your words move my heart…thank you.
That is beautiful.. to remember and be reminded that we are Sought Out by God. What a gift you are leaving in hearts here. Just lovely. To be used by God, to have a purpose that is eternal, that is a deep desire and it is only accomplished as we seek HIM and let ourselves be found waiting for those revelations of blessing He brings.
I am going to carry that around a bit today. 🙂 Thank you!
Blessings,
Dawn
Your words are such a gift to me today, Dawn! Seeking Him and letting myself be found waiting…with you.
Love this, Jeannie. Sweet moments with Him where He speaks to tenderly to me are what I live for. His Word is alive. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this with Thought-Provoking Thursday!
Lyli, thanks for the link up and I pray you will have many sweet moments to fill your days. And in those days of silent companionship, you will continue to pursue Him, holding nothing back.
Wow! I love it when God speaks directly to us and gives us the exact word we need in that moment. So powerful. I don’t want to worship from a distance either. I want to soak in his presence, in awe of his holiness, love and majesty. Thank you so much for sharing this, Jeannie. I’m always inspired by your words.
Abby, what a blessing your words of encouragement are! Thank you. He is drawing us ever closer to His heart and I pray we never hold back or withdraw from Him in any way. Pursuing Him with you in this journey!
Isn’t it amazing that the Creator of the Universe and everything in it, actively seeks us out?? What love He must possess for us. I can’t even fathom it. I have been trying to “be still” more frequently and spend more time in His Word. I do feel the clarity of His responses when I follow these steps consistently. It is such a wonderful, overwhelming and comforting feeling… to the point I often feel the sadness and loss of it on days I get caught up with the busyness of life. Thank you for reminding me of the importance of slowing down.
Kristi, I am thankful for Him who never loses patience with me and is always speaking…if only my ears would consistently hear. I too feel the loss and sadness when I get caught up in other things of life and don’t settle in with Him first. Praying we have ears to hear and a heart that longs for the pursuit of Him!
He seeks us out, we’re valuable to Him, designed with a sacred purpose… but we forget it so easily. I know I needed this poured into my day. A really holy boost! Thanks Jeannie, for heeding His quiet calling, and then sharing it.
He loves us so much, I don’t think He minds reminding us often! Glad to hear these words gave you a holy boost! That’s awesome! Blessings!
I love this. That the God of the universe should seek out sinners in order to save them and sanctify them is beyond my comprehension….and still…..I am so very thankful that I am a “sought out one”…..
Me too, Deborah, I think the rest of my life will be spent in amazement at His love and like you, thankful to be a sought out one. Blessings to you today!
Called “Sought Out.” I never saw that before! Wow. Thanks, Jeannie
Thanks Jeannie for being such a “team” member in Blogging For God group. Your words are always comforting for us who read them and your dedication of encouragement to us all! This POST was no exception. Actually, it fits nicely with my next post concerning a Glimpse of Heaven as revealed by the REVELATION to John, Chapter 4.
This speaks to the heart of many, I’m sure. “You seek me out. I have no gift to bring my King save for a heart that longs for You.” So precious!
It is such an overwhelming thought that God seeks to be with us! The magnitude of that concept is nearly inconceivable, yet that is the blessed truth! How can we be so enamored with the things that so often consume our minds and hearts when the Creator of the Universe beckons to commune with us! Thanks for the reminder, Jeannie!
Karen, may we also seek to put Him first in all we do!