One of the many ways my heart responds to God is through music. A few different songs
have been on constant replay in the car the past few days and one of them is
Chris Tomlin’s “Waterfall”:
O God my God, I seek You
I want to move when You move
You’re more than I could long for
I thirst for You
You’re an ocean to my soul, to my
soul
Your love is like a waterfall,
waterfall
Running wild and free
You hear my heart when I call, when
I call
Deep calls to deep
Your love is like a waterfall, waterfall
Raining down on me
O God my God, I seek You
In this dry and desert land
You lead me to streams of mercy,
once again
You’re an ocean to my soul, to my
soul
It’s coming like a flood, I’m
dancing in the rain
Everything I’ve done is covered in
rivers of grace … amazing
It’s coming like a flood, I’m
dancing in the rain
I lift up my hands, Your love never
changes … amazing!
This song expresses the swelling,
pulsing urge within me to run up a mountain with God, to tread on the heights
with Him and soar freely within His boundless love. As the Psalmist says, “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your
waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord
directs His love, at night His song is with me – a prayer to the God of my
life” (Psalm 42:78). It’s amazing to me how God has designed us to
experience a profound reality with Him that is beyond what we could ever dream.
The depths of our souls connect with the depths of God’s heart in a rhythmic conversation, as He moves in and over us, ever shaping us into the people He
has called us to be. Our soul in constant plummet sinks deeper and deeper into
God. For from the roots grow the tree.
These are my thoughts as I travel to
India very shortly. What a wonderful, exciting thought to be going on this
adventure with God -- just Him and I -- without familiarities, comforts
and distractions. I want to soak up all I can during this trip. I know the Lord
has much to teach me, and I pray He will also use me for His glory. Things are
finally wrapping up and the loose ends are being tied. God has graciously
provided for every minutest detail – what a faithful, faithful God He is. I’m
utterly undeserving of such love and mercy, yet He gives freely again and again.
There are very few words to say except hallelujah!
The rain patters gently down outside
my apartment window, and I’m finding it difficult to write. These days I don’t
know whether to laugh or cry. The fact that I’m finally going back to the place
I love so much has me quite overwhelmed. My heart aches with joy and longing
just thinking of all the beautiful children God has brought to the Children’s
Home this year. I ache also for my “family” in India and the wonderful
fellowship we will share together. Such a funny sensation to be waiting months
and months for this and when it finally comes to be a jumbled mess. I’m sure I
will be much much more emotional once my feet are actually walking through my
village again!
Preparations for the trip have been
overall smooth; I’m 98% packed and ready to go. The only things left to do are
to add a few things to my luggage, print off my e-ticket for air travel and
figure out which books to bring. :) Lord willing, I'll be boarding the plane in
Sault Ste. Marie at 10:20 am, Monday. From there, Toronto to Frankfurt, and
Frankfurt to Bangalore, Karnataka. Friends Raju and Joyce Mathew will be
picking me up at the airport in Bangalore and taking me into their home for
about 4 nights, where I will hopefully recover from jetlag and prepare for the
final journey by train to the village in Tamil Nadu. Raju and Joyce are a
wonderful missionary couple I met on my first trip to India. They run an
amazing ministry called Accept, which is an AIDS clinic and orphanage. I had
the privilege of spending time at Accept for 6 days and was so blessed! As the
Lord leads, I will be visiting Accept for a few weeks in November.
Ultimately all these plans are in the Lord’s hands and I hope to chronicle them
in more detail as they play out.
Some prayer requests at this point:
· an
outpouring of God’s Spirit (His peace, presence and blessing) as my toes tingle
on the doorstep
·
guidance, protection and safety during travel (that all connections would be
made without hassle)
·
God’s power and blessing at the Children’s Home as the new school year has
begun; strength and guidance for all the workers, especially the hostel wardens
and for Jonathan, my teammate from Austria who has just arrived and is
beginning his work with the children
Thank you all so much for your love
and support on this journey. What a blessing to be part of the family of God!
May the Lord Himself be with you all.
Love in Christ,
Gracie
