A Call To The Remnant

I wrote a poem called ” I asked for a rose,” which a sister in the Lord later put to music. I have included it at the end of this piece. I wrote it at a time when I was very discouraged. I was in the midst of several major challenges in my life, one of those times where troubles and trials seem to come one after another. One time when I was swimming in the ocean, I was heading towards a large inflatable raft that was moored about 25 yards from the shoreline. I caught a wave right in the face, and when I came up for breath I caught another one at the exact moment I was trying to catch a breath, this happened three times and I thought for a moment that I would drown. This was what this period in my life was like, one trial after another hitting me in the face. There was no recovery period and it felt like I was being swept away and would go under.

For years now I have walked and prayed every day. As I was walking I was crying out to the Lord that I just wanted some peace. I wanted to lie down in pastures green, I wanted, no I longed to be in a place of rest and tranquility. I had shared for years that such a place could be found in the very depths of the valley and believe that with all of my heart, but this day was a very low day and I could find no peace and I longed for some encouragement from the Lord. I walked on and a story came to my mind. It was a story that I had used many times when sharing with others personally and from the platform. It was a true story about a man who went to the supermarket every week to buy his wife a single rose because he loved her. One week he went in and picked a rose and headed to the checkout to pay for it. He saw an older women standing there and the Holy Spirit spoke to him, the Lord simply said ” give the woman your rose.” That was all he heard, no explanation.

This was a man of God who loved the Lord with all of his heart but he struggled at this request. He was fearful which seemed silly but he was. He wondered what the woman would think of him. Even although she was much older, would she thing he was trying to hit on her? Most of all the man just feared that she would think he was a weirdo. Yet, the command persisted, give the lady the rose. So, he took a deep breath, walked over and said to the woman ” I know you are going to think this is strange, but the Lord has asked me to give you this rose.” He held out the rose and with a trembling hand she slowly took it but not before large tears drops began to roll down her cheek. She tried to compose herself, her lower lip trembling, she told the man. “My husband died six months ago and this morning I was overwhelmed with Loss and loneliness. I cried out to God and asked Him if He had forgotten men. And now you have handed me this rose. You see, my husband used to buy me a rose every week, the Lord has answered my prayers, now I know He has not forgotten me.” The man was stunned.

As I walked, pondering this story, feeling very discouraged, I cried out to the Lord that I would “like a rose,” meaning that I would like to be encouraged like that. About an hour later I received a call. It was from a dear old friend and saint whom I had not heard from in a few years. She was a lot older than me, been on the road for a long time and very sensitive to the Lord. She told me that the Lord had laid me upon her heart and she spent the next thirty minutes telling me how much I ministered to her over the years and so on. I was deeply encouraged by her words but more than that, I knew that this was the Lord Himself responding to me, encouraging me. I had asked for a rose and He had given me a garden, hence the name of the poem. Maybe you are deeply discouraged today. The trials of life have stacked up against you, you just long for a place of peace. You long to be found in the depths of Him. You simply need a touch from Him. Perhaps in the reading of this piece the Lord is answering your prayers, reminding you that He has not forgotten about you and that He loves you deeply and cares for you. Ask for your rose this morning and then walk in the depths of His glorious garden as you listen to this song.