Author: Kelsey Brooke

James 4:14 ”For you know not what a day may bring forth. For what is your life? It is a vapor that appears for a little time, and then is gone.”

Months later in Mayfield, Kentucky: still much brokenness, lives still being mourned, and close to 500 homes that were lost.

Jesus is acquainted with our grief. I see Him standing in the midst of this broken place, yet I see Him weeping a greater deal over the many chasing fleeting success instead of the unending, unshakable love He offers.

Are we laying up our treasure here today, or are we laying them up in eternity with our Savior?

Imagine if you could have a glimpse into your final moments here on this earth before you go to stand before the Lord. This day might be sooner than some of us tend to think, or it might be years down the road. I think about the emotions I would be feeling: would I be anxious? would I be nervous? would I feel regret? would I feel fear? or would I feel relief? would I feel excitement? would I feel joy finally being able to stand before my Savior? It is easy to get swept up thinking about the moments we hope to come in this life: the day we finish that degree, the day we stand with another saying I do, the day we hit that goal, the day that dream finally comes true. Yet, the moment I desire to wake up with everyday in mind is the moment I am with my Savior for all of eternity. If we live with this moment in mind the other moments seem pretty trivial. Though they are seemingly beautiful, and we still should cherish them all. But then, in the moments of heartbreak, brokenness, when storms are waging..we are able to cling to this never-failing hope that only can be found in Jesus Christ.

It is so easy to get swept up in the fleeting things of this world. I weep over the unshakable faith of those who lost so much here in Mayfield. Those choosing to hope, choosing to fix their eyes on God rather than circumstances. It is what we often sing about, ”nothing else but You, Jesus..” Yet, when we find ourselves with nothing else but Jesus… Is He still enough?

Jesus, we continue to cry out for restoration over Mayfield and Your healing over the broken-hearted.

Your Beloved, Kel

Matthew 6:21 ”Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”- Jesus

What do you value?

Google led me to the following ways to define value – “held with importance, worth; a person’s principles; the usefulness of something; one’s judgement of what is important in life (their treasure).”

That last definition stopped me in my tracks. I took a notebook and really thought about this question.. What do I value? What would completely rock my world if I were without it tomorrow? What truly beyond ever pretense or memorized grouping of words is most important to me?

I wrote in my journal- my relationship with my Savior, my mom, my friends, (so, people) – my quiet time, my freedom, my mobility, my Bible, my health, my home, my car, my jobs, money, food, coffee, the gym, books (so, things). I basically went through my normal daily-routine; we spend our time with what/who we value.

Am I valuing heaven (eternity) more than earth (the temporary)? Simply, no.. I wrote. I spend more time living for myself than I would like to admit. Recently, to be quite frank, I have been valuing comfort 100%. Ever since being home from overseas, my favorite activity has been getting cozy with a warm drink and laughing along to friends re-runs. Now, do I believe the Lord is disappointed or angry with me for this? No, but again how we spend our time shows us what we truly value.

When we know and have encountered our good Lord’s saving grace, we value Him. Every aspect of our lives change: our thoughts, our words, our actions. We gain vision beyond ourselves and our own circumstances. However, just because we love Jesus with all our hearts and are passionately in pursuit of Him, does not mean it is easy; it does not mean the war has stopped raging between our flesh and the Spirit. I am sure we can all attest, it is still so easy to lose sight of our why, to lose sight of our purpose, to lose sight of our God.

As I write this, my heart is more burdened for those of us who know God and those of us who call ourselves christians. There is so much luke-warm, casual-comfortable christianity today. Prosperity gospel is being preached at great heights. I love the way David Platt put it, ”we should come to Jesus to get Jesus.” Yet, many preach come to Jesus to get_____ (fill in the blank with your desire). I have been reading the journey of the children of Israel through the wilderness. The children of Israel, these are God’s chosen people. Yet, I see how easily they were enticed by false gods and desires; I see where they allowed their fears to outweigh their faith; I see where they thought they were doing what was right, but eventually had to stand before a Holy God. I see where I am them most days.

Christians, are you valuing the things of this world: comfort, influence, possessions, security, marriage, family.. more than you are valuing the things of God: His Word, Prayer, the GOSPEL, Eternity?

It is not sin to value other things; they are gifts from God! But, the sin creeps in when we value them just as much as we do our God. Since returning home, the most frequent question I have been asked in some sort of fashion has been, ”Did you meet anyone on your trip? Are you seeing anyone?” Now, I also want to say I have had many people ask me such good questions and ask how the Lord worked and moved, as well. I just have been pondering why this is the most emphasized topic within our christian circles. Have we maybe taken marriage off the altar? Have we maybe taken our children or families off the altar? Or, maybe the desire for such is all that consumes our minds? Now, I wholeheartedly believe that having a family is a precious gift from the Lord. But, the Lord still desires us to love Him wholeheartedly.

We see such an undivided love for God and holy reverence to God in the life of Abraham.

Genesis 22 “And it came to pass that God did tempt Abraham, and He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou love, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains that I will tell you. And Abraham rose early, and went to the place God told him… And they came to the place which God had told Abraham and built an altar; and he bound his son Isaac. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of the heavens.. and said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thine only son from me.”

How many of us would fail this test? My hands are both raised. Abraham’s trust and willingness to give God everything baffles me. It is so very humbling and convicting. Abraham was a husband; he was a father; but more than anything he said, God, I am yours. He valued His Lord and Savior above it all.

You see how the enemy has taken gifts from God and urged us to simply misplace them. ALL gifts from God belong on the altar. It is counter of our wiring; thank Jesus, we have Him with us to help us. The more precious the gift, usually, the tighter our fists become around it. God told Abraham to bring his gift back to the altar and his hand were wide-open and his heart willing.

Are our hands wide-open with what we value today before our Holy God?

Deuteronomy 4:29 ”But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou shalt seek Him with all thy heart and all thy soul.”

Some of us are not finding God where we think we should because we are not seeking Him with all of our hearts. We tend to want to keep all the things of this world that we value and to throw God in on the side. Friends, Our God is not a sidepiece that we place in the corner of our lives. He is The Piece. He is Life.”

The beauty nestled in all of this is that when we value Him above all else, our value is found in Him. Your circumstances make you no less valued. The absence of a band around your finger makes you no less valued. The inability to have a baby makes you no less valued. Your failure time and time again makes you no less valued. Your health makes you no less valued. For, your value is in Jesus.

Jesus, I write this with tears coming down my face.. because so often, I seek you half-heartedly. Thank you for Your amazing grace that welcomes me. Jesus, I pray that our value is found only in You; I pray that we value You above it all. I pray to live with a holy fear and undivided love for You, God, as Abraham. Jesus, may we value the Gospel, Your Good News, over every other desire. What we value is our treaure and where our treasure is there is our heart.. Jesus, let it be You and only You. Set our hearts aflame.

Your Beloved, Kel

Psalm 84:10 ”For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee.”

Blessed, we all have said it, and have expressed it. What does it mean to truly be blessed, though?

I have realized that most of the time when I express how blessed I am, what is to follow are things. ”The Lord answered this need/want”; ”the Lord made way for this to happen.” Now, saying such statements are not wrong; The Bible even says every good gift is from above (James 1:17). And, plus we need to testify of our God’s goodness; He is so good! Yet, there is a huge difference between walking in awareness of how blessed we are, than flaunting it from a proud heart. How often, this is what my flesh succumbs too when my eyes are diverted from the Father. It is easy to get swept up in this world and the things of it. It is easy to compare with others, to become envious, to walk in the flesh living proud and selfishly. Just as I am writing this my phone buzzed; somewhere in between checking my church’s small-group messages, I got swept into a World-market email-looking at their new arrivals. Friends, we must fight the good fight; we must pray Ephesians 6 and daily put on the armor of God; we must plead for the Spirit to lead us, or else the flesh will. Most things are not evil of themselves; the sin comes in when they take the place that our God should have in our hearts. Our good, good Father and Lord, He knows our hearts; He knows our motives. I believe we are not purposefully seeking to act from a proud heart. We just become busy, and before we know it we have gotten swept up in all the feelings creeping in on us, rather than the Presence of our Lord. The good things can quickly become the desire of our hearts, rather than, the Good Giver.

Paired with being on guard, we also must seek after the Lord’s discernment in sharing and proclaiming how He has blessed us. My heart became burdened by this after returning to the states last year. Within the past few months, I have seen many friends that I have not seen for a year or so. Easily I wanted to share all of what the Lord has done, all the highs from being over seas, yet my friend sitting across the table from me may have not needed to hear such highs; it may have been more of a low, heavy season for them. We all have or will experience these seasons of life. That is why I believe James 1:19 tells us to be ”slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to become angry.” Now-a-days with social- media, we post all the highs and by our finger tips can express how blessed we are to others. While scrolling and seeing everyone else’s blessings it is easy to forget that EVERY SOUL, LIVING, AND BREATHING TODAY IS BLESSED!

So many of us hear this word “blessed” from others and feel inadequate, unqualified, undeserving, unloved. These feelings are ABSOLUTELY LIES from the enemy. Before I share anything on media, with friends, family, etc.. I pray. I pray that it will add to their lives; I pray it will be encouraging; I pray it will be up-lifting; I pray that it will be pleasing and glorifying to God. Of-course, I fail. Some days I just want to post my good-hair day or beautiful latte that is not helping anyone. All that I share or say is not always pleasing to the Lord; but, I want my God to know my utter desires are to please Him, to move His heart, and to glorify His Name.

I want to equate being blessed to the Presence of God, alone. For in that, friends, it is our choice whether we will walked blessed or not.

His Presence makes a day better than a 1000 without Him. If I had a choice to have 1 more day on this earth with Him or 100,000 without Him, I would choose the 1 with Him. I love how this Psalm goes on to say, ”I had rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” The Lord used this verse to once again check my heart. The other day I wrote in my journal.. Kel, if you were just a door-holder ushering people into the Kingdom for the rest of your days, would you be okay with the simple task?

This is the calling on each of our lives, friends. Yet, so often I find myself seeking after being more. The truth is simple as this Psalmist says, It is better to be just a doorkeeper, or the cleaning person, or the person who restocks, etc…in the house of the Lord, than being a person of influence, having a platform, or gaining 10k followers in this world.

Do we love His Presence enough to just hold a door ? I wholeheartedly believe we are to dream with the Lord, to tell Him the desires of our hearts. But, He ultimately knows our hearts and if our hearts are too arrogant to hold the doors to His house, we need a heart check. We see this in the Old Testament while the children of Israel are journeying through the wilderness in the book of Numbers. The people of Korah, had the most pristine job of all the clans. They were the ones responsible for guarding the Holy vessels of the tabernacle. In chapter 16 of Numbers, we see them conspiring against Moses and Aaron. Ultimately because they became envious of the position and power Moses held. Little did they understand, the power of the Lord that their hands beheld. They were entitled and ungrateful; instead of receiving the promises of God, they ended up receiving the Lord’s judgement. The beauty I see here is years later, one of their descendants wrote Psalm 84; finally they realized that the Lord, Himself is everything.

Blessed are they that long for His Presence and nothing else.

Sweet friends, if you have breath in your lungs today, you are BLESSED. The Spirit of the Living God goes with you.

Lord, Thank you. Thank you tha† Jesus made way for our bodies to house Your Spirit, Father. We are Blessed because of You, God. I pray the enemy has no room here. I pray in Jesus’ Precious Name you rid our hearts of every ounce of pride. Every good and perfect gift comes from You, God. May we praise you for Your Presence, Jesus, above it all. We all are undeserving of the simple breath You give.

Your Beloved, Kel

“Hear me speedily, O lord: my spirit faileth: hide not Thy face from me.. Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto Thee to hide. Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God: Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O Lord, for Thy Name’s sake: for Thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of Thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and remove all them that afflict my soul:

For I am Thy servant.”

Your Beloved, Kel

Let’s backtrack, I am back to making the coffee for the people.

If you know me, you know a passion of mine is coffee. I love the joy that can be found in the simplicity of life given to us by the Father. This past year I laid this down and the rest of what the Lord was telling me to lay down. And, I went on the WorldRace. If you are unfamiliar, this is an 11-month mission’s trip over-seas where you pretty much live out of a backpack. It was a beautiful journey sharing God’s truth and discovering more of His heart.

Now, here I am two months into a new year; thrown back into the thicket of what is “normal life”. I am not going to lie to you my soul misses the adventure, the community passionate after the will of the Father, and the many daily divine encounters. Yet, the Lord has gently lowered me back into His truth that every day is a serious gift. I have loved seeing our God in the mundane, the ordinary, the thicket of ”normal life”; I saw Him in Aldi through a man walking up to strangers asking them if they knew the Name, Jesus; I saw Him in the beautiful, sky colors peaking over the mountains; I saw Him in the sweet reunions with friends and family; I meet with Him every day in my quaint, little bedroom. He continues to remind me that He is the same God of my bedroom that He was on those mountaintops. He is the same yesterday, today, and with what lies ahead.

Today, I walked back into an ever-once-familiar place. Even though, it was my first day on the job. Green aprons flying by as the coffee aroma hits you in the face.. Starbucks. I have worked at Starbucks since I was studying my under-grad in Florida. I could be asking, God, why would you bring me back here? At first, I 100% questioned even the thought of it. Yet, here I am not a supervisor as I once was, but a barista. I know that it is exactly where the Lord has called me for now. Tears fell to my chin as I drove home after today’s shift. Not because it was horrible; I truly love it all, the fast-pace, the coffee-making, the customer-connections! My heart was just broken over the many we pass by daily who are lost and without the Hope of our Savior, Jesus. The tears fell because I felt small, inadequate, and just sad. As these emotions unsettled my soul, the song came on the radio that goes, “That’s the power of His Name; just a mention makes a way, giants fall and strongholds break, and there is healing..There is no power like the MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS.” This truth washed over my aching heart instantly, friends. The Lord reminded me of my calling to be salt and light. “Be Salt. Even if, it is only 1 itty-bitty packet at a time.. a sprinkle here and a sprinkle there, Kel.”

The enemy wants us hopeless. He wants us selfish. He wants us distracted. He wants us full of pride. So, we are blinded and do not see the need all around us for a sprinkle of His love and His truth. Humble and lowly, Jesus walked. He met a Samaritan woman at a well and revealed Himself to her of all the people.

John 4:7-14 The women at Jacob’s Well – “There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. His disciples gone away to the city. Then saith the woman of Samaria, How is it that thou being a Jew asks me for a drink, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knew the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have ask of him, and he would have given thee living water.

vs.13 Jesus says, ”Whosoever drinketh of this well water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

I cannot help but think there are many today as this woman at the well, thirsty. Would we stop? Would we give her the time? _ maybe it is not so much a thirsty woman at a well, but maybe it is a homeless man on the street, maybe it is a depressed teenager, maybe it is a bisexual man, maybe it is a broken family, maybe our least favorite politician. These are people Jesus died for; His heart is aching for ALL people.

We have to get uncomfortable. It will probably not look the way we think it should, wrapped up all nice and neat on a Sunday-morning pew. This is not the life Jesus calls us too. He calls us to the wells, friends. His calling is for ALL people, those who are broken, who are shattered, who are hopeless, who are fighting to hold on, and those who seem to have it all together.

“`Luke 5:31-32 ”They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

I hold tight to this verse because truly if we found Jesus was walking around today, I believe we would find him in the most unlikely of places loving the most unqualified of people (Matthew 25:40).

Jesus, Thank you for being the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Thank you for the truth of the Gospel that you came and died for ALL people. I pray you would move us to get uncomfortable. I pray that we would not live lives distracted and selfish, but move our hearts for every person that we encounter. Bring us to the wells. And, Jesus lift the burdens, giving our souls peace, that we know we merely are called to be salt and light. The Power is simply in Your Name, Jesus.

Your Beloved, Kel

Are you in a pursuit after the Holiness of God?

..Not for selfish reasoning, not for any woa-factor, not for the means, yet simply to honor Him.. simply because our loving, gracious Lord deserves our utmost reverence. The way google defines Holy is, ”exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.”

That is our God, friends. Perfectly and entirely Holy.

I believe that we have become a people to casual with our Holy God. I have heard countless Christians say God would never rebuke us; He is too kind. Amen! He is SO KIND! Yet, I know even on my very best day I need the Lord’s correction. We live in a culture that calls correction and rebuke— hate. Yet, the word of God says in Proverbs 25:12, ”Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.”

Just the other day I sat in my car sharing my heart to Jesus; I was frustrated; I was angry even. My heart was truly broken over the lack of brokenness I have for my daily sin. Jesus, yes, wiped the slate; He took on every weight. We are no longer slaves to our sins in Christ. There is no condemnation or shame in His Name. But, in that same breath, the Lord has burdened my heart with the realization of how our flesh can certainly bring us into a state of apathy over our sin. Romans 12:2 ”And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Friends, we need the Lord’s correction. We desperately need Him to renew our minds, or at least I know that I do. Scripture tells us we must prioritize the Lord’s Holiness, or else we are subject to our flesh. Prioritize, as in trying to obtain it? No, because we all fall short. Thank God for His Grace by which we are saved, not of ourselves; it is a gift of God (Ephesian 2:8). A gift that should bring us to prioritize the heart posture of complete surrender daily. Allowing God and His holiness to consume us: our thought patterns, our reactions, our actions.

Psalm 73:26 ”My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.”

I love this verse above; time and time and time again I fail; I fall; my flesh gets the absolute best of me. But when we truly know that He is our Portion, I believe we cannot help but live with a zeal after His Holiness. We become broken over the days when we just were not feeling it, when the Bible was not open, when the praise was not falling from the lips, when the flesh was welcomed in. We become broken over the matters that break His heart. We become a broken people held together by a perfect, holy, loving God.

2 Timothy 4:1-7 ”I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His Kingdom: Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth. But you, be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of the Lord’s ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith.”

Are you fighting the good fight after the Lord’s holiness or giving way to the flesh?

Father, break me, correct me, chisel me. I pray you chisel me away, Lord, until all that is left is YOU. May we be a people zealous for Your Holiness. Thank You for being our Portion.

Your Beloved, Kel

Exodus 14:14 ”The Lord will fight for you..”

Have you felt defeated ? I battle with carrying this daunting feeling around with me quite often. Because I do not know about you, but I certainly mess up .. a lot. Another Monday morning, I find myself on my knees pleading for the Lord’s help. He reminds my heart that the true victors are in Him.

I believe we find throughout the pages of the Bible that purpose and success do not go hand and hand. Meaning we should never equate our purpose with our earthly success. Just as the apostles were imprisoned, stoned, and exiled.. they never lost sight of their purpose. They marched on despite their unsuccessfulness in this world. True, Godly success is clinging to Hope; it is discovering daily the faithfulness of our God. Now, I am sure the enemy wants us to measure our purpose by our success day to day. Because he wants us to lie defeated, the opposite of hoping.

Deuteronomy 20:4 ”For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

Dear child, there is a war raging after your soul; you must make a choice daily. A choice to either choose life or death. A choice not to fight, but to surrender. A choice to seek purpose rather than fleeting success. You will choose your flesh and strive after success time and time again, but do not lay defeated (Psalm 73:26). I came to fight for you. I became flesh. I hung defeated. But, then I rose. I rose and defeated death. I rose to give you life. I rose to bring you Hope. I rose to rescue you.

You are Victorious in Christ, Your Savior.

Jesus, I pray we daily lean into Your Rescue. I pray that we do not equate success with purpose. I pray we remember the cross and always cling to Hope.

Your Beloved, Kel

Job 13:15 ”Thou He slay me, yet I will trust in Him.”

Recently I have been reading through the book and life of Job. In chapter 1, we read that Job lost everything; he lost his sons and daughters; he lost his possessions; he even lost his health. Yet, the response of this broken man was to immediately fall to his knees, crying out to God, and all the while, still praising the Father’s Name.

Job 1:20-22 ”Job fell down upon the ground, and worshipped saying, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

..DO YOU TRUST THE LORD IN SUCH A WAY?

We are familiar with the sweet restoration at the end of Job’s story; he receives double of what he had lost. Before when I have read Job, I breezed through the chapters to the end when we see the Lord’s hand at work. It certainly can be a hard book to chew on. However, if we skip to the end, I believe we have missed the point God is trying to convey through Job’s life. The heart of this story is Job’s trust in the Lord through the pain, the heartache, the trials, and the lowest point humanly imaginable. Trials always reveal the truth of where our hope lies.

Right dead in the center of this book is the most beautiful picture; not the end when everything has been restored. But, here when a physically, broken man at his end cries out to God acknowledging that He has allowed this happen to him, yet still trusting in His Sovereignty.

Job 13:15 ”Thou He slay me, yet I will trust in Him.”

Job chose to trust. Job chose to hope. Job chose the Lord above it all.

In Chapter 13, Job has boils on his skin; he is not only emotionally tormented, but physically in such pain that I truly cannot fathom it . His own wife in chapters before tells him to curse God and die (2:9). Then the majority of the book is Job’s friends rebuking him and telling him to repent of his unrighteousness. Job is the only book of the Bible that there are no specific dates or time references mentioned; however, theologians believe based upon the writing that Job’s sufferings could have lasted for years.

Currently as I type this, I sit with a pot of coffee brewing, and fuzzy slippers on my feet in a cozy placement looking out to the white, snowy abyss (a foot of snow came last night to Asheville). I have sat plenty of places abundantly blessed by my health, my friends, the cup of coffee in my hand, etc… not choosing to trust the Lord.

Job had every right to doubt and question God looking at his story from our human persective, yet Job knew the Lord. He knew Him so personally and intimately. Job desired the Lord not just the Lord’s Hand. We see this in how Job’s faith was not contingent upon his circumstances. Now, I am sure Job was relieved when the Lord came and restored all that he had lost. I imagine though, Job’s joy to be at its highest when He heard His Lord’s Voice call to him out of a whirlwind in Chapter 38.

Ooof. This brought me to my knees, friends. I long to have such trust in our Lord. I long to have Job’s unshakable faith.

Maybe you are in a season as Job today, the Father is reaching out His Hand, and He only wants your heart.. to know the Lord is better than life itself, I promise.

Jesus, thank you for Job’s story that brings us to the realization that You are enough. You are all that matters; Everything else of this world is fleeting. I pray for a heart craving to know You, Lord and not just craving to see Your hand at work. I pray for Job’s unshakable faith and trust in You. Blessed be Your Name, today and forever.

Your Beloved, Kel

How many times have you stood in a place feeling neglected, abandoned, or to put it a little less dramatically, overlooked? A place where you might have asked God, where is He or why is this happening to you. I believe it is a place we all have been if we are not already currently standing there.

John the Baptist lived all of his days on earth in such a wilderness. Yet, he did not cry out to God asking Him, where He was. Instead, John stood in his wilderness with Holy expectation.

Mark 1:3–5 ”The voice of one (John) crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His path’s straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey..”

In the above passage we are introduced to John the baptist. A wilderness-guy without a doubt. He had a radical kind of faith; a faith that leaves you shaken and wide-eyed, for truly it is the power of the Spirit of God. He ate bugs, wore animal skins, and talked of what none knew. Every time I think of John, I think of Tarzan walking around with a Bible and preaching the gospel. I am sure many thought he was a lunatic or on something. Yet, John I presume had not a single care of what others thought, for he knew his calling (Luke 1:77). He worked for God’s approval and not man. He sought the Lord’s Voice and was not distracted by the many others. He is a sure, fire example of what it looks like to deny self and to bear a cross before there even was a cross. Now, I do not think the Lord is calling us all to go find a wilderness and live the same, yet I do believe as followers of Christ our hearts should be sold out to Jesus in the same manner as John’s. This is my prayer over my own life: That my days are lived to just make straight the way to Jesus. It is not easy. It is wilderness. It is a daily death of self. Tears fill my eyes because John the baptist spent every day making straight the way, yet had a pretty tragic story here on earth.

Sheila Walsh writes in The Shelter of God’s Promises, “I can’t read the story of this last brutal phase in John’s life without weeping. He lived his whole life denying himself any sort of luxury or indulgence and had to place his head on a block with only one companion at his side, the executioner, without seeing what the road home through Christ was going to look like.”

John was executed before Jesus made it to the cross. Now, the scriptures do not tell us much of John’s thoughts or feelings at this time. Yet, he was human just as you and I. He did question if Jesus was the Messiah as he sat in prison (Luke 7:19-20). I imagine that he was thinking, if you are the Messiah when will you rescue me from Herod. Yet, God was calling John home. Regardless, John the Baptist stood in his wilderness with Holy-expectation. He chose to trust in a God that maybe he did not understand, but He knew. He knew He was the way, and He made it straight.

John 1:23 ”I am a mere voice of one crying in the wilderness, Making straight the way of the Lord.”

I cannot wait to see John the Baptist leaping around heaven with such tremendous joy for he tasted the goodness he patiently waited on.

Jesus, I pray to be but a mere voice making straight the way to You. In all seasons of this life may my soul be singing You praise. For, this life is not my own, and the best is yet to come. I pray we take the truth of John the Baptist and stand in each of our wildernesses with Holy expectation because the beauty is You are not a God who promises no wilderness; You are a God that meets us in the wilderness.

Your Beloved, Kel