The swell of the strings 

Is

The swell of my heart. 

To know you more.

To study your face. 

To rest in your voice as I learn to hear it more that my own. 

As the cello glides to the forefront 

I see you there. 

Your face,

Grace filled lines as your eyes crinkle in delight. 

A melody that sings forth 

As your lips break into a glorious smile. 

Laughter that spills out to the cadence of the refrain,

A rippling strain 

That reveals beauty inside the strength 

I look up to see 

A sparkle of delight 

As your gaze falls upon your daughter. 

Glimmering with joy,

Shining with abounding love, 

And my heart leaps at the realization 

That your admiration 

Falls upon me. 

As the drum echos forth, 

I am drawn in. 

I feel your chest 

Match the rhythm of my breath, 

And I am astounded by the closeness of your touch. 

As I sat in a small room in the hostel, my squad gathered in worship around me, the music sounding in my ears, I had an overwhelming urge to once again write what I was feeling. Lately, I have become infatuated with how I SEE God. Not really how I feel Him or how I hear Him, but how I SEE Him when I envision His face. You see, for me, God is more than just a being in the sky. He is more than simply a director of life and breathe. He is more than the Bible stories. He is near, and He is active, and He is intimate. 

Intimate - a word I would have never thought I could use to describe my relationship with my God, but that is precisely what it has become. A sweet partnership where we converse, we cry, we laugh, and we exist together. Intimacy with the Father brings a sweetness beyond this world. It has brought a newness to how I see those around me because I learn more every day about how my God sees me. Intimacy has brought boldness in how I pray, which brings painful pruning, and leads to a new level of relationship than I could have imagined before. 

As you read this, I pray that you begin learning how you SEE God. He wants not just a relationship with each of us, but a closeness and intimacy that reaches to the deepest parts of us. I pray that as you learn His heart more and more, your prayers become bigger and bolder. I assure you, as you pray big prayers for your life, He will answer. And I can almost guarantee that it won’t look like what you expect, but it will be all the sweeter because it brings intimacy beyond what you can see. Each one sees Him, hears Him, and loves Him in a unique way, and I pray this testimony helps you press into what that looks like for you.