Surrounded, Surrendered

"I will go before you, and come behind. I will come alongside you. I will surround you with my love. I will be near to you."

This, He said.

And I felt His presence surrounding me. Peace and comfort.

And I was glad.

Some time later, I was frustrated by a lack of options. I was hemmed in on all sides, unable to go in a direction of my own choosing. It was practically impossible.

Then I heard Him.

"I will go before you, and come behind. I will come alongside you. I will surround you with my love. I will be near to you."

And I realized that to Him, nearness implies dependence. When He is close, nothing else can be that close.

When you are surrounded - surrender.

When He surrounds you - He will guide your steps.

It is not always like this. Sometimes He leads us to a spacious place, where it is the number of options and His open permissiveness that astound us - even challenge us to accept the roominess of His pleasure.

But when He is close, our options are limited.

To Him.

If He does not move, we cannot move. If He does not act, we cannot have. If He does not speak, we cannot hear.

When He surrounds, surrender.

Be at peace.