Lately I have found myself awakened through my nights, restless… unable to sleep. Part of it revolves around our daughter’s chronic illness and the night watches that accompany this pilgrimage to wholeness. But that is not all of it. My soul is crying out needing to be met in that quiet time of waiting. Expectancy hovers close in the dawn of the morning and I find that the words ‘waiting for the sunrise’ is more than just a cliché; it is a full-fledged truth.
Have you ever found yourself seeking the sacred in your midnight hour? Seeking and looking for the only One who can meet your desperate need?
Much of this nighttime vigil spent in prayer is bathed with unintelligible yearning, syllables blended with tears in what may easily sound like begging… though it’s not. It is a searching, it is a seeking, it is a looking for the sacred in the midst of the midnight watch. It is an interceding that words and thoughts can’t convey. It is a resting place where tears imitate the passion translating the words our hearts can’t fully form.
Sacred prayers are born in the passionate pursuit of righteous communion with the Father.
Psalm 102 mimics the pattern my sleepless nights seem to follow, driving me to my knees as the call to pray becomes a lifeline; a breath upon the dry bones that are scattered beyond me.
These dry bones are a vision of a parched spirit, one with structure but no life. When Ezekiel spoke over the dry bones (Ezekiel 37), the Word of God says he prophesied to the wind, asking it to blow life into the valley and bring power to resurrect the lost.
There are days when the patterns of our living replicate the scattering of dried promises left in chaos. We need a strong wind of power to sweep up and fill the reservoirs of hope that will arm us for the battles ahead.
Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones represents the hopelessness we feel in our journey, yet also revealing through an oracle of salvation the message of God’s power to deliver us. Telling us the GOOD news, the gospel truth that God can reach us in our exile, highlights the echoes of grace that the Word of God always demonstrates. And friends, this grace thing… He points to it… All. The. Time.
Weakness allows us to give in to hope, not hopelessness, which leads to blessing and life.
In our weaknesses, our bones feel like they are trembling, shaking, and rattling. This is exactly the point where we can give up and give in to HOPE, not hopelessness. It is that simple. What do we have to lose in choosing hope? What do we have to lose in choosing God? Nothing, we have nothing left to lose at the point where we are spent in sorry sighing and fading strength. We have everything to gain by going to the throne of grace with boldness and expectation.(Heb. 4:16)
Psalm 31 points the hopeless in the direction of the rescuer as it reveals that His sovereign grace is enough for every moment. Our time, it says, is in His hands. Do you believe that? Do you really believe that? Or do you think that your life is your own?
If we put our trust fully in HIM, yet fail to believe that He is purposely working out good for us, then we are a contradiction to truth. He doesn’t expect us to get it all right away. He knows our limitations, because He knows we are finite. Our finite thinking fails to comprehend the extent of eternal infinity which He alone defines. He asks us to trust that we can rest in Him, predisposed to receive the blessing that He has prepared in advance for us to receive.
He can do no less, this God of goodness and grace. His nature is to bless, not to curse. His nature is to unite and commune with us, His chosen and beloved. The more we see this, the more we can come to the place where surrender no longer looks like a sacrifice, but an investment. Psalm 31 reminds us that His goodness, which belongs to those who fear Him and revere His name is great and that we are encouraged to be strong, take courage… wait, hope and expect the Lord.
{When you are praying in the dark hour of the trial what do you expect, friend?}
Follow me here to some sacred promises that are seeds of hope for you.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.
He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles: they shall run and not be weary: and they shall walk, and not be faint. – Isaiah 40:28-31
The midnight moments point to fully expectant hope.
Friends, the weary moments are the ones where I can find myself slipping into the hole of hopelessness, fully missing the path that faith points towards. Though my flesh may bear the mark of grief, my soul can soar like the eagle up above the storm; riding on the waves the updraft wind creates, pushing me closer and closer to the Sun.
This midnight moment is the deliverance which reflects the resurrection power that Ezekiel prophesied. The blowing wind is like cleansing waves splashing over us. As we relinquish the hold on our plans, we can finally willingly accept His abundant will.
Praying earnestly, seeking the solace that His Word declares is ours… the peace that passes all understanding of Philippians 4 becomes our reward. Finally, I can see a ray of hope in this moment. I realize His will is exactly what I need.
Unless I first begin to seek His will in my midnight hours, my tomorrows may never be fully filled with the windfall of promise it was meant to hold.
Are you ready for the fullness of going fully in to the Will of God? Are you ready to meet the hope that comes from being sold out for His glory?
I would love to walk deeper with you. I’d love to go all the way to the ledge and jump with abandon into His heart of hope. Will you join me in the journey?Please let me know how I can pray for you this week. You can email me at dawnboyer@journeysingrace.com.
Praying that today that the Son of righteousness would rise in your midnight hour as you wait, hope, and expect His deliverance. May the breath of life from the Spirit wind of Truth blow over you and resurrect life within your heart. May His grace infuse every step with power to soar high above the storms you are facing today.
May the fullness of His grace bless you on the journey!
-ANNOUNCING- The ALL IN Ministry Launch November 1st, 2014
Something awesome is coming on the 1st of November. A powerful ministry is launching on Saturday for the purpose of going ALL IN, ALL dependent upon God. Loving God fully, heart, soul, and mind, purposing to love others as a result. I have the privilege of joining with passionate hearts seeking to dive deep into the fullness of God. I am so excited to share it withyou. The ALL IN Ministry is going to bless you abundantly. You can find it online at Going All In and find ALL In on FB.
Stop on over, sign up for emails and information, get on the list, and join the FB page to get updates. I am ready to Go ALL In and I hope to see you there. #ALLIN
Linking up this week with passionate hearts seeking the sacred moments:
SDG Gathering, Make a Difference Mondays, Playdates with God, Unite, #TellHisStory, CoffeeforYourHeart, Word Filled Wednesday, Winsome Wednesday, What you Wish Wednesday, Thought Provoking Thursdays, Thoughtful Thursdays,Fellowship Fridays, Missional Women, Essential Things Devotions, Faith and Fellowship Blog Hop, Counting My Blessings, Fellowship Friday, Missional Call, Saturday Soiree, Give Me Grace, Still Saturday, Recommendation Saturday, The Weekend Brew
There is so much truth & goodness in this post. Ezekiel & the valley of dry bones has been a favorite passage of mind for over 30 years. I still remember the sermon which opened that passage up to my understanding. May we keep hope alive as we pray knowing that with our God all things are possible. Blessings!
AMEN! Hope is so powerful. I just revisited our chapter on hope – how it is not a destination, but what gets us to our destination. Forever the picture of a lifejacket is burned on my brain from what He has taught me. We can hold onto hope and survive the storms.
I love that chapter on Hope, Jen. It is one of my favorites in the book. Thanks for sharing it with us, here and with the message God gave you to write!
You are loved,
Dawn
I haven’t been sleeping well thanks to my pregnancy and I certainly have been using that time to pray blessings on my little man.
Praying for you to have rest as you are waiting for his arrival, your prayers will protect him all his days, Susannah!
Blessings,
Dawn
I think we go through seasons. I’m currently sleeping through the night, and am thankful for that! I never was a morning person, until recently. That time of day seems to be when His call on my heart is the strongest right now. Whatever the time of day or night, responding, quieting our hearts and minds to listen is key. Beautiful, heartfelt post, Dawn. Blessings on your week.
Yes, we do have seasons, June, and by His grace we can journey through them. I have never been a morning person and I am more creative, active, and productive at night,actually. However, I have always enjoyed the early morning quiet that brings me to the throne of grace and sensing His sweet presence invade my existence.
Thanks for your words.
Blessings,
Dawn
These words… are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever read. You bless my soul. ❤️
So thankful for your encouragement, Heather. It means so much. You bless me as well.
Hugs,
Dawn
Beautiful! Sometimes, when I remember to seek Him in those midnight hours, that’s when I feel Him closest to me.
It is amazing, isn’t it, how close He really is. It seems a bit overused to suggest the Footprints poem analogy, but I always think of that in the times I feel alone and remember that He is carrying me. So glad you stopped Kathryn!
Blessings,
Dawn
What a beautiful reminder of hope and seeking His will! I have had many of those sleepless nights you refer to, worried about my children and their chronic illnesses- diabetes and epilepsy. Many prayers for your precious daughter!
Dear Candace,
We are connected in more ways than our sleepless nights. My daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy as an infant. I will keep you close in prayer.
Bless you dear heart,
Dawn
This is beautiful-you write like a poet.
I find even though I claim my heart belongs to God I forget -I worry and get anxious and have to remind myself he is in control. I don’t know if it’s because I am a fairly new devoted Christian, or if it will always be that way.
Thank you for reminding me he is using me for good. I will keep you and your daughter in my prayers.
Katie
Dawn, I remember reading through the “dry bone” verses of Scripture once and at the question, “can these bones live” . . . I though—probably not.
It was a transforming moment of turning to hope for me. Even in situations that seem dry and impossible, He is the God of hope. Always loving. Always filled with grace and mercy. Always offering hope. Thanks Dawn. This is really beautiful!
I went through months of sleepless nights years ago and prayed through them but my anxious heart felt fear and not hope. How much better to have hope that gives life in the midst of our darkest moments.
Your words will bring encouragement to thirsting souls and dry bones. We do need to “Go all in.”
I saw you Dawn at Missional Women, Faith-Filled Fridays.
Blessings,
Janis
A beautiful post…comforting and encouraging words. Our hope and strength are found in an all-knowing God who loves us through every season…waiting patiently for us to seek him.
Hello, Dawn. I’m visiting you from Fellowship Fridays. Your post is timely because I’ve been waking up way to early in the wee hours of the morning. So I get my Bible and go to the kitchen, and God renews my mind as I read. It’s much easier to sleep later whe my mind has been refreshed by God’s word!
What a beautiful, encouraging post this is, Dawn! What a great perspective this is, seeing that even in our weakness we can find great hope when we seek the Lord. Such a comforting thought! He is so good to us!
What a blessing that you linked up to The Weekend Brew. I am also going #ALLIN for God and am part of the ministry team with you and Heather.
I loved your words in this post. I was struck by reading that weakness allows us to give into hope not hopelessness. So true and for some it is backward thinking. The next time I have a sleepless night I will hold onto the truth of the hope that is found in God. Blessings!
I go in spurts. Right now I am sleeping well at night, although I stay up until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. Sometimes if I find myself awake at night I will reach for my Bible app on my phone and reach scripture. I am thankful that God waits for us to seek Him in every season.
How encouraging! Always so good to know that God has this big plan that He’s just waiting to unfold–even when we don’t see it.
Absolutely! Sometimes we forget that because we are in the middle of it, but I am so glad that he sees the end of my days as well as the beginning! Thanks for stopping by Brittany. 🙂