For some time now I have been seeing another image from The LORD and it’s another David Lean-style epic.

It even has a soundtrack! This is the music I hear every time I see it

Against the background of that music, a lady is sitting on the ground, fastening on ice skates.

She wears a knitted hat on her loose, unbrushed hair, and warm but shabby clothes. She is at a vast frozen lake, surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

All around her is still and quiet and she is alone and feeling lonely in this vast, cold icy, white wilderness. The ice in her heart has frozen her …colder than the air outside.

She clomps awkwardly in her skates to the edge of the lake, like a duck on dry land, then slowly moves onto the ice.

She is scared at first. She is afraid of falling. She is afraid of hurting herself and feeling pain…and even though she is alone, she fears looking foolish too.

She wobbles around like a new born foal. She falls and lands in a heap, bruised and feeling like an idiot but there is no-one to see her. She is glad about that for a moment, but then feels sad and lonely again.

She stands up and starts skating again. There is more wobbling and there are more falls. One more fall and this time she really hurts herself badly.

She whimpers then just cries. She is so tired and in so much pain. This is foolish. She is too old, too achy, too dry, too useless. It is too late. What is the use of going on?

She struggles to stand again and decides to crawl back to the land, take off the skates and give up. As she crawls she thinks she might be able to rise onto the blades again and with difficulty does so.

She starts skating slowly back to the edge of the lake but she discovers all at once that she has a new strength and is now skating with more ease.

As frozen water gives way to frozen land she swerves sharply and in spite of herself, heads out onto the ice again.

A boldness comes over her. Not reckless, but as a quiet, assured confidence. She finds herself swift and strong, with a strength in her that is not her own.

It is like all of her joints have had oil poured on them. Her pain is still there but it no longer matters. She starts small but then takes a risk to try out some more complicated moves, spins and jumps.

As she grows in strength, skill, and confidence, so her appearance changes. Her hair now appears neat and styled up with a delicate crystal comb.

She is wearing an impractically long, full dress of mid-blue-grey heavy duchess satin, but she manages it beautifully, the lines of the skirt responding to her movements, rippling in the air and flaring out like a banner.

She is skating freely now…. so graceful. She makes large sweeping curves across the ice, creating beautiful lines with her whole body.

There is fire in her heart. She glides across the ice like a ship in full sail, like a swan. She is flying free.

As she skates she isn’t aware at first that a younger lady is at the edge of the ice, too scared to step onto it.

The first lady skates towards her then past her, then slows and turns around and looks back.

The second lady doesn’t see this as intimidating but somehow knows it is meant to be encouraging. She steps awkwardly onto the ice, nearly does the splits and falls flat.

The first lady is going to help her but the second manages to stand up and dust herself down, smiling ruefully.

They both start skating out into the frozen lake, the first lady expertly, the second more clumsily.

There is another lady sitting far away, tying on her skates and further along a man and three boys walking, carrying skates.

Behind them a ways off is an older married couple with their skates. Even before they have put on their skates the second lady has now transformed and is wearing rich dark red, skating freely, like the first, though with less delicate grace of a swan, and more athletic power, like a gazelle.

It is beautiful to see the contrast as they move on the ice.

Soon they are all gliding and leaping and spinning on the ice, all with their different styles of skating, all with wearing beautiful colours, rich and dark, soft and pale, bright and hopeful, like flowers dancing before the lake of ice and the white mountains beyond.

They are all different and move so differently but it is perfect choreography. Without a word said they are moving in harmony in that vast silent stillness.

There are more coming. They will all join the dance.

The LORD says, “This is how I see you and this is how you are stepping out.

I have work for you to do. It will be hard. You will have opposition.

You will make mistakes. You will want to give up many times over. Don’t give up! Be brave and keep going. I will not leave you.

I could stop here and give you Joshua 1:9 and Deuteronomy 31:3-8 and it would be like an inspiring devotional or blog but that is only a tiny part of what I have to say to you:

Focus on Me and walk in unity with Me and you will walk in unity with each other. Trying to persuade each other into harmony won’t work.

Working for Me will be working in harmony. If you do it My way I will make a way for you.

Don’t try to do this in your own strength. You need understanding, you need practice and you need support.

Don’t procrastinate either. My training will be on-the-job. You will improve!

Start now and use what you have. My favour increases as you steward well what I give to you.

Above all, though, you need Me.

It is My Strength, My Wisdom and My Courage that are important.

Concentrate on Me. Worship Me. Stay aware of My presence.

I have already conquered. I AM Risen! I have overcome!

You are My child and My victory is your victory.

My Grace empowers you.

My Anointing is upon you.

Stand in that place of My Victory.

Dance from that place of My victory.

If you don’t know what this means for you, ask Me to show you!

Be brave, be humble, be strong and you will fly free for Me!”

Scripture References: Jeremiah 31:13, 1 Chronicles 28:10, Psalm 5:7-8, John 17:22-23, 1 John 4:4, 2 Timothy 2:1.

 

~ Iris Maud, UK.

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Iris Maud, UK.

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