Valley of Anchor

You lead me into the desert

Into a desolate wasteland

Where nothing grows and no one’s present

Where I find no shelter from the scorching heat

No refuge from the cold

Where I am stripped naked, bare and ashamed

For I have run away from you my love

I have given myself to another

I have been unfaithful

It is right that you bring me here

It is right that you punish me

Yet when our eyes meet instead of anger I see love

Instead of fury I see understanding

Instead of condemnation I see compassion

I see a longing, a passion, a love so great that I am undone

I cannot comprehend how you could love me in spite of all I have done

How you could bear to look at my nakedness

To gaze at my brokenness

Yes you have led me to the desert

And there you put your robe around me

You cover my nakedness

You wipe my shame

You pull me into your arms

You speak tenderly of your love

Oh your sweet love is better than wine!

You leave me intoxicated

There in that desolate place I entrust all that I am

I abandon my everything to the one whose love captivates

I could look far and wide and not find a love as sweet as yours

You alone remain faithful despite my failure and compromise

In that moment of abandonment

In that moment of trust

In that moment of brokenness my desert is turned into a field of lilies

A field where I rest in the arms of the one who has sealed my heart

The one I belong to

The lover of my soul