I sit here, paused. Meditating. Heart fixed. Steadfast.
“My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:8
The Lord is so good to uphold us when we follow Him closely. If you know this truth, you know. Your life has seen turbulent waters, storms, and sorrow. Christmas time can be filled with wonder, beauty, and the glorious celebration of the God who became flesh and dwelt among us. And it can also be filled with heavy emotions.
My playlist was on shuffle while I drove the other day. A beloved song began to play: “It is Well with My Soul.” And while I listened to the words, something new struck me.
“When peace like a river attendeth my way…”
“When sorrows like sea billows roll…”
“Whatever my lot, God has taught me to say…”
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”
The author described two lots. One was a peaceful river, and the other a sorrow filled plight so difficult that he likened it to large, swelling ocean waves, crashing one after another after another. I’ve always imagined the writer to be describing two different moments in time. But it dawned on me in my car that day that the song writer is describing the soul that can sing “it is well,” at any moment. And why?
Because the soul can experience both (trouble and peace) at the same time.
For those whose souls “follow close behind You” (Psalm 63:8) there is a peace—more real than the air we breathe. It is a gift in the grief and sorrows of life. Unexplainable, yet tangible. Impossible to understand, yet real. It guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and shows up right in the middle of swelling ocean waves.
Available for the soul that follows. Closely.
To follow closely is to spend time seeking the Lord. For those who want to hear Him, open His word—that is where He speaks. Closely could also be thought of as regularly. All the time. Every day. Day after day. Moment by moment. It is the reality of those who are refreshed, renewed, and receive from His life-giving abundance.
May the wonder, beauty, and glorious celebration be yours this Christmas—whatever your lot—as your soul follows closely after Him. Let us commit to following closely, together, as we celebrate our God of Peace this season–the Lord Jesus Christ.
