I held fear before my eyes
‘Til all I saw was my demise

Anxious thoughts scratched and clawed
And tore my face away from God.

For man may come to cut and take
But will I allow my faith to shake?

Nothing can separate me from the One
Whose love shines stronger than the sun.

I trust not in what is unknown,
But who God is, what he has shown.

For God’s love doesn’t live on a page
It’s plainly seen, the world is his stage.

He knows my thoughts and through his grace
He gently turns my wayward face

And puts his hand under my chin
And tells me over and over again –

“I delight in you!”

He breaks the chains of fear and doubt
And all my worries get poured out.

‘Til peace floods in to take their place
And I am held in the arms of Grace.

So here I’ll rest safe and secure
Knowing I am loved, of this I’m sure!

Written by Sandy Blackburn
October 11, 2013

This poem started in my head when I was waking up this morning. I was listening for God, because I had allowed stress to take up residence in physical manifestation in my neck and shoulders. Many health concerns have plagued my family and myself recently, and it was stealing my joy from being expressed over my daughters engagement yesterday.

The title of this post is Trust Is Not Blind and though it is not in my poem it is the heart of it. God reminded me that trust is something earned, something we give based on our experience. We can give our trust to others based on stories we hear from friends about their experience, but it is through our own experience that we come to fully trust in someone. That is my trust in God, it is not a blind trust, it is based on what he has done in my life. Sometimes I wish I could give that trust to those in my family who are going through struggles. I pray they will experience God’s love for themselves.

What does it mean to me when God says, “I delight in you”? The first time he spoke it to me through someone else as they spoke prophetically over me. I couldn’t imagine or fathom that the God of all creation and holiness would delight in someone so flawed. But it spoke to my heart that God didn’t love me generically, but he loved me specifically, and so he speaks that to me whenever I forget.

I encourage you to take time to listen today. He loves you specifically, too!