By Claudia Gustafson

It’s Thursday. We woke up as usual, did our morning routine, and rushing out the door Noah says, “Mom grab the CD from All Sons & Daughters” from the worship event we had been to last night. I grabbed the CD, hoping to make our morning drive fresh. I have a real distaste for this 40 mile round trip, twice daily excursion I’ve been taking for the past 10 years to take my son to a Christian school where he has a sense of belonging. We pass through the countryside we’ve always longed to wake up in, to not just pass through. Though we still live at the busiest corner in the city full of traffic noises and frequent accidents, the Lord always reminds me along this drive of His amazing gift to us in His creation. And I realize again it’s one reason I’m still willing to make that daily drive. Well, this morning was typical, not just another morning. It was again new.

I love to worship. It gives me a reprieve from the complexities, pain and difficulties of life. And last night’s worship was exceptionally sweet as we gathered with a larger than usual crowd hungry for worship, hungry to escape the cares of this world, hungry to be filled. Worship not only gives us that reprieve but it also unites us with Him and to each other. Who doesn’t need both of those? We get to meet the Lord in that special place. We get to experience a moment of His glory and often it’s with each other. And often times He reveals things to us, changes and sometimes even heals us. Wow.

So we popped in that CD as we drove out the driveway and our usual morning conversation quickly turned to another evening of worship. Transformed to a sanctuary I love to be in, only it’s now morning with the sun rising through the dense fog in the fields of the countryside. This morning drive is always different, always. And God usually shows up there for me. What a blessing to have Him in our day, to know we are simply just a part of His day! I realize that the drive I so distaste is often where I meet Him. Hmmm.

After dropping Noah off and starting for home, the sun a bit higher, the fog changing its character, the worship continuing to bring me to a morning place of “I love You so much! What now, Lord?”, I began asking him how I could assist Him. My God is the Mighty God of Reconciliation. I saw Him do amazing things last night, now how could I assist Him in being part of a reconciliation today that I know really needs to happen on many levels, a place that’s hard to go to. “Can I make a difference Lord? Can I?” He began pressing in on me and gave me some thoughts about that.

“I love You so much! What now, Lord?”

I said “ok, but if this is You, You have to line things up so I can do that.” And as I drove down the country road, the rising sun behind me, the morning fog lifting around me, the worship filling me, high on what appeared to be a hill covered in the still dense fog emerged a wooden cross I had never seen before. As I lifted my eyes, it was just peering through that fog right at me. I’m sure it was a higher than usual electric pole, but everything around it and connected to it were masked by the fog. Did all the other drivers see it? And All Sons & Daughters were singing “Wake Up.” And the lyrics, “take up your cross, carry it on” were booming into my heart. The other drivers definitely weren’t hearing that!

I got it Lord, You can do anything. And we get to participate with You! So yes, at least for this day I’ve got it, I’ve got Him and He has me. My heart is Yours Lord, Your will be done. You lead and I will follow. I am so thankful to be called Your daughter.

Wake Up
by All Sons & Daughters

We have seen the pain
That shaped our hearts
And in our shame
We’re still breathing

Cause we have seen the hope
Of your healing
Rising from our souls
Is the feeling
We are drawing close
Your light is shining through

Wake up, wake up,
Wake up all you sleepers
Stand up, stand up
Stand up all you dreamers
Hands up, hands up
Hands up all believers
Take up your cross, carry it on

All that You reveal
With light in us
Will come to life
And start breathing

Here we stand our hearts are Yours
Not our will but Yours be done

What sweet worship we were blessed with last night. And what a bold and sweet Lord we have still leading us today.