And the Lord . . . said, Write the vision, and make it plain. . . . — Habakkuk 2:2 (KJV)
I did hear a Voice once. I was in despair. It was the nether reaches of the night. No one is up at that hour for any good reason. I was up because I was terrified and broken and helpless and lost. The bedroom door was closed and the windows were closed and everyone else was asleep in their rooms, but a Voice spoke to me.
It was so clear and crisp that I looked out the window to see if someone was there. I am a little uncomfortable sharing the exact words, so I will paraphrase.
The Voice told me to lose the urge to edit and control and repair and fix and understand what was happening in the house. The Voice was gentle and calm but firm about this. It brooked no argument, so I did not argue. I listened long for more, but there was no more. It was enough.
Something loosed in me, and I surrendered to whatever was going to be. I came to realize slowly that all I could do was be patient and gentle and open, and so that is what I tried to be over the next two years as things went the way they went.
I know this sounds mysterious and mystical, but it wasn’t. It was stunning and real and frightening, and it might well have saved my family from shattering. It doesn’t make sense, so I’ll just tell you that a Voice spoke to me and I heard it and I suspect you know what I mean.
Dear Lord, as You know very well indeed, there are more things beyond our ken than we will ever know. But because we cannot explain them does not mean that they are not so and not gifts of extraordinary, immeasurable grace. Thank You.
Digging Deeper: 1 John 4:1
