"Flood"

Just beneath the surface,

And deep down in my chest,

Reside the deepest feelings,

The ones I know the best.

Sometimes they stay down under,

And then up they rise,

I can’t always predict it,

The time or place or size.

But no doubt they are down there,

Sometimes I fear how strong,

Don’t want them to get out of hand,

But stay where they belong.

The trigger is a sunset,

Or some sweet singing bird,

Sometimes it’s the music,

That song that I once heard.

Sometimes it’s our anthem,

Flag waving in the breeze,

Feelings start my eyes to leak,

I’d never hit my knees.

Sometimes it’s children’s laughter,

The eyes of daughter, son,

When we have been together,

And laughed and has some fun.

I feel it when the woman,

The Good Lord gave to me,

Holds my hand and listens,

And gives me hope to be.

But most of all the feelings,

That lie within my heart,

Are stirred and rise to flood-tide,

When the Spirit does His part,

To make me feel God loves me,

And calls me just to be,

One with Him forever,

And died to make me see.

Such love is so much greater,

Than any I have known,

Thank God someone told me,

And to His arms I’ve flown.

The flood of all my feelings,

Are His to navigate,

And I ask Him to use me,

And He is never late.

“May you experience the love of Christ, thought it is too great to understand fully…” (Eph. 3:19, NLT)

The love of Christ is indeed too great to fully understand. It is a spiritual and psychological exercise to experience His love, and impacts us emotionally. Some fear emotionalism. We ought to fear the paralysis of our emotions. Why not just flow with the Spirit, and open ourselves to everything He wants us to feel? Does this mean that we worship emotion or equate certain emotions with the Spirit? Absolutely not! But to think we’re going to change the world calmly is nonsense. It’s when people are touched and moved and stirred and set on fire that life changes and things happen. Give your emotions to the Lord, and lt the flood begin.

Lord, fill us to overflowing with Your love, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.