Have you asked the Lord to touch you with His love yet?
How did it go?
I remember one touch that took my breath away.
~~~
Phew! It had been a rough few days. And it seemed like I was having to ask the Lord for a touch of love not just once, but several times a day.
On one night in particular, I was a mess. I had just left class due a panic attack and was headed home. It was 9 p.m. I usually started asking for touches of love as soon as I woke up. And it wouldn’t take long to receive one. But this late at night? What could God do in only an hour … before I went to bed at 10 pm?
But I asked anyway … because I was desperate. After the panic attack, I was physically exhausted. And my heart was still hemorrhaging from the grief.
“God, I know it’s late, but can you touch me with your love … tonight, if possible? I am really weak and low and need something from you.”
Then I drove home.
I got to my front door … and froze in my tracks. What was that lying there?
A single, yellow rose. And a small, handwritten note.
It was from Beth. She was coming to a meeting in my part of town that morning, and drove to my house quite by accident.
She said, “For some reason, I drove to your house on autopilot. Then, because I missed the meeting I was coming there for, I decided … spur of the moment … to go out and get you some flowers. I wanted to buy a big bouquet for you, but none of them felt right. So, I bought you just one little rose.”
She kinda felt stupid for doing that, and thought, “What difference can one small rose make to all Anita’s grief?”
Little did she know what an answer to prayer that rose was going to be!
I came into the house, took off my coat and gloves, and read her note. And wept. Because I had never experienced God like this before.
This kind of God wasn’t taught in my Sunday School class! How is He so willing to come near to me and comfort me every time I ask? And how can He answer my prayer … before I even pray it?
Yes, I have learned that God delights in giving me more than I ask for … or expect.
~~~
Later, I found out that the yellow rose has a special meaning.
“In contrast to the romantic meanings attributed to other roses, the yellow rose is purely a symbol for friendship. This gives it a unique place in the pantheon of roses. Yellow roses can send the perfect message of appreciation and platonic love without the romantic subtext of other colors. They can represent feelings of joy and delight, and are an ideal way to brighten someone’s day who may be feeling down. There is perhaps no other flower that is able to bring out a smile in quite the way that a yellow rose can.” (proflowers.com/flowerguide)
Well, I was sure smiling about this rose. And it definitely brightened my day.
That rose was so special, I decided to dry it so I could keep it forever.
Now, whenever I look at it, I am reminded of God’s touch of love to me that day. And how He says, “I am your friend. I delight in you and enjoy you.”
God is my friend?
What a concept.
~~~
Do you need the touch of a friend today?
God is near.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
