restorer of lost voices

He found him in a desert land,
And in the howling waste of a wilderness;
He encircled him, He cared for him,
He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.
Deuteronomy 32:10 (NASB)

I will never forget the first Broadway play I went to, Les Miserables! When the curtains dropped, I nearly burst into tears.  I was so moved by the experience; yet, it was hard to put into words what I felt.  I can only say the music struck  a chord with me, like only it could.  And I was left with the feeling like I was missing something, but I didn’t know what. Sadness followed close.

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.
~Victor Hugo,
                    Les Miserables

Sometimes, life can be a bit like that.  There is an ache deep within our soul, an emptiness, and it comes in waves of sorrow that leave a passing shadow on our heart.  The longing hurts for a moment…fleeting…we barely know it is there.  But it comes as a physical  haunting, we feel it deep within our soul, and then it is gone.  We are left changed.  And there are no words.

There was a woman named Dorcas who knew about heart ache.  (Acts 9: 36-43) She lived along the coast in Joppa, a town that had often experienced storms. Many widows from the fishing village had lost their husbands to the sea.  We don’t learn whether she did or not.  What we assume is she wasn’t married and didn’t have children.  Despite her deepest longings, Dorcas spent her life looking outward, caring for others, and providing for their needs.

After Dorcas fell ill and died, she was remembered for her many acts of kindness.  Her friends sent for Peter; they had heard about his miraculous healings in Jesus’ name.  They wanted their friend back, she was profoundly missed, and there was still work to be done. She was needed! Peter knelt down and prayed over Dorcas, even though she had already passed on and been in the presence of God.  And taking her by the hand, Peter helped Dorcas stand.  She was raised from the dead.

Dorcas gained strength and began sewing , baking food, and serving the poor again.  As she went about her work, did she long for the other side? She now knew what she had been missing.  God saw her inner conflict and intimately cared for her. As she kept her eyes fixed on Him, He fulfilled her deepest longings! Dorcas had been brought back to life for a purpose. Everyone was talking about her miracle, and many believed in God because of it.  There was a reason for her physical healing and He would ease her passing shadows.

God does the same for His children today. He longs to protect us from the howling wind of the desert.  He finds us in our wilderness experiences, gathers us in His arms, and cares for us like the apple of His eye.  We are the delicate, most useful part, and essential for vision.  The maker of the universe seeks you and I! Oh, that we would respond like Dorcas and be known as disciples of Jesus!

Help us remember we matter to our Lord! He fulfills the deepest longings of our hearts as we keep our eyes fixed on Him and faithfully serve others.

Lily Mae