FJWL_02:45
         Be not weary, but have faith and trust in My love. Trust that your trials and battles, your times in the desert place when you must lie under the trees and dip your hand in the cool water to find strength, come from My hand. You do not see them now as a blessing, but this time of quiet, this time of prayer, this time of solitude, this time of reflection shall result in a depth of spirit.
         You shall find wisdom and compassion and understanding. You shall know in your heart without a doubt that in you there is no strength and no goodness, but you will find your strength in Me. You will find the power that you need through your love relationship with Me. This time of rest and being out of the action is only for a moment; it will only last long enough that I might fulfill My plan in your life.
         But you are thinking, "Oh, so many times I have been in this desert place. So many times I have partaken of this quiet and this solitude. Why must I once again? Is it because I'm not learning my lessons? Is it because I am so hard of heart that I am not hearing His voice that He has to continually have His hand upon me to chasten me and to break me again and again?"
         I say that this is not a punishment or a chastisement. It is not because you are not hearing My voice or learning your lessons. It is because I am blessing you and honoring you and privileging you with this special time with Me--time that you can be in My arms and look in My face; time when we can commune with each other and get to know each other in a more intimate way.
         I want you as My Own. I want you as My lover. I want you as My wife and My bride. I want you to have no other gods before Me--not your family, not your mate, not your ministry, nothing. I want you to desire only Me, and to love Me and know Me and be close to Me. You will need this intimate relationship with Me to fulfill the plan that I have for you in the future when you will be called upon to be in tune with Me, to be prayerful, to be wise, to be kind and loving and sympathetic with those who are weak, and to be understanding of those who feel discouraged and hopeless.
         Because you have spent this time in the desert place, you will be able to speak from a full heart. You will be able to speak from experience and testify of the blessings and benefits of lying in My arms, partaking of My love and listening to My voice.



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