Vineyard Days – Yours Also is the Night, Part 2

“On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves;
I sought him but did not find him.
‘I must arise now and go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
Song of Songs 3:1-2a

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It takes time to learn to trust, lean in to the Lord, and come through able to say, “Yours also is the night.” One of the hardest truths our mind struggles to reconcile is that it’s in the darkest, blackest, most hopeless time of life that the Husbandman is planting and protecting the seeds of our new life in Him.

While we are consumed with fighting the relentless battles of life in this flesh, He is working overtime to ensure that we have every opportunity to yield to His call and strike out determinedly after Him.

He often uses increased desperation – which for us often feels like increased crankiness and fault-finding with the status quo to which we’ve become accustomed. It’s best we be loyal to the status quo, though, lest we be struck with a lightning bolt. Or guilt. Guilt works well.

So, in a manner similar to the Enemy trying to persuade us that dark is the new light, we convince ourselves that surely the status quo will change and grow – by osmosis. Becoming comfortable mutates into a dread disease of relational complacency with the Lord that spreads like blight across the vineyard.

While we are busy settling in and calling it seeking the Lord, the Lord himself has a far different outlook:

And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” Romans 10:20-21

We are spiritual Israel. This applies to us.

Let me illustrate with a personal story from Mr. & Mrs. Shammah – my husband and me.

As we minister to ones the Lord brings our way and have testified to on our website, we do not hide the fact that we have journeyed through our own brokenness and healing to arrive where we presently are.

At the 13-year mark of our marriage, we stood on the threshold of divorce. It was a decisive time.

In a very real way, we stood on the brink in our natural lives of what scripture terms as ‘the valley of decision.’ Did we know its significance then? In the midst of pain, no. But we chose to seek help to deal with the things in the flesh that were threatening to rip apart all we were, all we had, and all we knew.

And, as it turned out, all we had been given through salvation but did not yet experientially possess.

The ensuing 26 years (we will celebrate our 39th anniversary this Fall) have been spent learning how to embrace, walk in, intercede for, warfare over, and take possession of the truth and the light of life that is ours through our at-one-ment with the Father and the Son through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.

What we knew and had been taught up to that ‘valley of decision’ time was how to do (some say ‘play’) church. But when we were in full-out crisis mode, the local church could not provide the help we needed.

Why? Because the church’s focus was on a building program, or a ‘sign up to serve and get your mind off it’ program, or’ let me give you biblical platitudes while I hide from you my own sin’ program, or … fill in the blank of wounding that has come from the very ones with whom we are in covenant through Christ.

It grieves our hearts to say that the deepest hurt and damage came from within the Body of Christ. So what if the world takes pot shots at us? But from the inside – ah Lord Jesus, forgive us.

What it did accomplish though, was while standing on the edge overlooking our ‘valley of decision’, we did make a decision. The Lord took us at our word. The rest is 26 years of history in becoming fully His.

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Vineyard Days has always been a heart cry to the Body of Christ, for which the bride-price cost our beloved Bridegroom King everything He possessed.

In turn, He as the living Word has made it clear throughout scripture that He is returning for a Bride that He might present to Himself [stand beside] … in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. [Ephesians 5:27]

That is to say, *no stain, defect or disgrace. No folding of her brow in worry or doubt. Sacred; physically pure, morally blameless and consecrated [set apart]. Unblemished, without blame. Faultless.*

Twenty-six years later, we bear witness that as all are wounded in relationship, we are also healed in relationship. The Lord has been faithful to fill our lives with healing ones as He sees fit. Today we also testify that His Body is being knit together in Him in many places, corporately and individually. We know He is healing and preparing His Body as each one puts on love, the perfect bond of unity. (Colossians 3:14)

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There is more, so much more. I hope and pray you will stay in the stuff as the heart cry continues. It is in the developing of and exercising our spiritual muscles and faith that our heart grows stronger and purer.

Please join me again next time as Holy Spirit continues to speak to all of us making this journey together.

~ Gracefully Free

*Strong’s Greek notations

Yours Also is the Night, Part 3

Photo Credit: Free from Unsplash – taken by Kyle Richner

Shammahs Field LLC/Shammah Ministries is the biblical counseling, life coaching, and spiritual growth ministry entrusted to Wayne & Nancy Bentz. You can learn more about the resources they have to offer at shammahsfield.com and nancybentz.com.