Come Away

Come Away.

The going…

The coming…

The coming and the going.

The coming and then the going.

The going and then the coming.

Are you coming?

Are you going?

Are you coming or going?

Are you out or in?

Are you in or out?

Are you moving toward or moving away?

Come away.

Come away.

With or without.

For I know who you would rather be with.

I know what you would rather be without.

Step away, run away, escape, retreat, fall back, fold your arms, prepare to fight, all the things you feel and yet I have asked you to do none of these!

Come away.

Respond to the one who says come.

Take the hand of the one you love and come away.

For I know how much you love to hold her hand.

For you care not whether you are coming or you are going only that you are walking with her.

It matters not to you what you are without, only who you are with.

For if she is with you, nothing else matters.

Yet I have made a way for you.

Yet I have made a way for you.

Yet I have made away for you.

I have made a way for you to be away.

For when you touch, immediately you are away.

It is like stepping into another realm.

For to take her hand is to be away.

This is the opposite of the take away.

For the come away, brings with it much joy.

The take away brings much loss and pain.

This is a special kind of giving and taking. You give your hand, and you receive her hand. Giving and receiving this was always my plan.

For you have entrusted yourself to her.

You have placed all that you are in her hand.

Is this not my lesson in wonder?

The choice to have and to hold from this day forward.

Yet I have set before you the broken path, the path of brokenness.

Did I not say you would have to take care as to what you put underfoot?

For I want you to walk on the word.

Yes that is it.

Walk upon the word.

What was the word?

COME!

Yes that is it. Is that not the word!?

What was the question?

If it is you Lord, command me to come?

Invitation and response.

That is how I roll.

On the one side, you invite me to ask you to come, on the other side I invite you to come away. Either way the outcome is the same.

Song of Songs 2:10-14 My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth and ripens her green figs, and the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance.Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. [So I went with him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved shepherd said to me] O my dove, [while you are here] in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face,let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

In the place of chaos, in the place of turbulence, in the place of crisis, in the place of upside down, in the place of the violent storm, the thunderstorm, the place of insecurity, the place where you are unable to stand – what is your question?

If it is you Lord, command me to come?

From the place of the rock and roll, the place of wave upon wave, the place of the crashing, the place of the going, the place of the going, the place of the going, the place where I told you to go away, the place of the going under. I provide the means to come away.

Matthew 14:26-29 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright. But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus.

I sent you away to the other side, so that you would invite me to say “come”.

For it is I that enables you to walk.

For it is I that enables you to make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble.

Note the means of transport was not what you expected.

By what means did they make it to the other side?

Only because they were with you. Not by might or power, or human capacity, but by your word. John 6:17-21 And they took a boat and were going across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and still Jesus had not [yet] come back to them. Meanwhile, the sea was getting rough and rising high because of a great and violent wind that was blowing. [However] when they had rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching the boat. And they were afraid (terrified). But Jesus said to them, It is I; be not afraid! [I AM; stop being frightened!] Then they were quite willing and glad for Him to come into the boat. And now the boat went at once to the land they had steered toward. [And immediately they reached the shore toward which they had been slowly making their way.]

Will you take my hand once again and come away?

If I ask you to come, will you respond?

For you can see my facing smiling with great joy as I extend my hand to you.

Whether in chaos or in the meadow of the green pasture my invitation stands.

I know your beloved has been on your mind so much these past few months.

Fear not for it is I that holds her hand.

For my hand is upon her.

For my hand is your hand.

This is no fairy tale romance, this is my story of love, my mystery novel.

The mystery of love, the love of mystery.

The place of wonder.

The place of tranquil joy and peace in any circumstance.

The safe haven.

The place of safety.

The mighty fortress.

The place of shelter from the storm.

The vehicle of great process.

The means to my end.

For my hand is in your hand, is in her hand, is on your hand, is on her hand.

Come away with me.