Love Calling

"In the spring, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love," was penned by Alfred Lord Tennyson in the mid-1800s as part of the poem "Locksley Hall." It has always fascinated me how certain pieces of written text seem to take on a life of their own and are remembered and quoted from generation to generation. Each year when spring rolls around, I, along with many others, I'm sure, think of this quote from Tennyson's writing. And each time I think of Tennyson's quote, I always have another thought that crosses my mind ... our fancies should turn to thoughts of love all year long, not just in the spring.

Yesterday while I was out running errands on my lunch hour, my phone rang which, quite honestly, it doesn't do much anymore. And when it does ring, I always know that it's one of my kids, my doctor's office or one of the two other people who sometimes call me. I didn't recognize the number that appeared on the screen, so I answered the call thinking it might be the pharmacy concerning a refill on some medication. Instead, I heard the voice of a fellow Christian speaker whom I haven't seen in six months say, "Terrie, hello to you, sister! How are you, girl? I've missed you!" I hoped that my voice didn't convey my thought of "Oh, why did I answer the phone?" as I tried to politely say, "Well, hello to you, too." Nothing at all against the gal in any way; in fact, she's an incredible person and God is using her in a mighty and powerful way. I simply don't have a lot of oomph in me right now to play happy on the phone.

I can't even begin to share with you my complete surprise at her words that followed ... "Friend, I'm calling to tell you that the Lord woke me from sleep last night and impressed upon me to fall on my knees in prayer for you. He spoke to me in my spirit and said, 'Your sister Terrie needs your intercession ... she's under attack and you need to lift her up.' I spent three hours on my knees for you, girl ... now tell me about this fight you're in." I had to pull over to the side of the road because I couldn't see for the tears that blurred my vision. I choked out some excuse about needing to get back to work, thinking that would end the conversation. But this dear lady proceeded to make me promise ... yes, that dreaded word ... she made me promise that I would call her after I got home from work.

Deciding I would call when I went for my evening walk (because she made me say "I promise I will call tonight"), her words kept coming back to me throughout the afternoon and during my drive home from work. Under attack ... this fight you're in ... what was that supposed to mean? I'm just trying to make it from one day to the next right now ... there's no attack, and there's certainly no fight left in me. Dialing her number as Oliver and I marched along the trail, I found myself hoping that she wouldn't answer and I could just leave a message. But as He often does, God had a different plan for me last night.

I walked along the trail weeping as my sweet sister in the Lord spoke, in her words, "words of truth" to me on the phone. Words that pierced my wounded soul ... words that burned my hurting heart ... words that pounded my troubled spirit. Walking with my head down staring at the ground before me as I so often do now, she said (as though she could see me through the phone), "Satan wants your head down, girl ... raise it up, sister, raise it up and understand that God has your face cupped in His mighty hands and He wants you to look up at Him." I sobbed as she said, "You have to hold on, Terrie, just hold on one more day, one more hour, one more minute. Don't give up, sister, don't, don't, don't you give up." My tears fell like rain as she said, "Look forward ... don't look back. God is making you a new person during this season. Old things are passed away and new things are coming, girl ... hold on to the God of the universe ... He's working on you."

She ended the call by praying for me on the phone ... that's only happened to me a few times in my life, but each time has always been moving for some reason. And all day today, I've thought about her words ... the words that I am certain God gave her because He wanted me to hear them. I've thought about the way He orchestrated that conversation ... a call that I took because I didn't recognize the number, from a person I haven't talked to in months, and who, quite honestly, doesn't know me very well at all. I've thought a lot today about prayer ... prayers that awaken those in the night who seek His face, prayers that are filled with authority and power, prayers of intercession and compassion for other believers in need.

I've scratched my head in wonder a lot since that phone call last night ... in wonder that the very same God Who rules the universe, Who is the Alpha and the Omega of all things, Who sacrificed His only Son for my sins ... that very same God put a gal on her knees in Kansas City Monday night and had her make a call on Tuesday ... because He loves a hurting, wounded, gray-haired girl that much. Because He loves me that much ... that was love calling, friends ... love calling indeed.