Know Before Whom You Stand

So, on my recent mini Spiritual Retreat there was this amazing mirror hanging on the wall. It was written in Hebrew and at the bottom it said: KNOW BEFORE WHOM YOU STAND. It was such a powerful thing and I still can't get it out of my mind. It occurred to me that we can take that sentence in two ways. One, we stand before the very Creator of the universe. I do not need to fear or be afraid. I am loved by God. His power and presence are real in my life. I stand before Him. The other thing I realized is that I need to know myself as well. Who am I. In order to stand firm and strong I need to know me. For all the craziness of life and doubts that I have, I KNOW I am a child of the most High God and loved by Him. He holds me in His hands. I do not need to be afraid. What can be done to me that He does not see. Even in this life with it's trails and painful experiences, He never leaves me to walk alone. Though I have doubts sometimes about things, I know who I am, or better, I know WHOSE I am. This is my attempt to write something that reflects this.

Know Before Whom You Stand


One set of words, two meanings taken

Know before Whom you stand, and you won’t be shaken


Words written on a mirror

Staring back is my image reflected there


It occurs to me that this means two distinct things

And I am at once humbled and grateful for a chance to see


I stand before the very Creator of all things

Who set the world in motion, made the birds to sing


His very power is unfathomable and undeniable

His very words speak life to my heart and hope to my soul


Creation cries out in wonder and praise

Glory and honor and power are His, even until the very end of the age


Yet this God of power and might

Holds me in His hand, I am never out of His sight


He comforts me when I cannot go on

And He gives me strength to sing a new song


He lifts me up when I am weak

His love and His grace, they surround me


His love is deeper, and His grace reaches wider

His mercy is greater, and His ways are higher


I stand before the very God who created it all

And I am humbled by His goodness and at times I feel small


This power, this might, this love and this grace

Can never be outshined, can never be replaced.


That very same God is asking me

To let go of my fear, to trust Him and see


And then there is the other image staring back at me

It is a face that is so familiar but sometimes hard to see


It is that reflection I often doubt

It is that reflection where tears and sorrow are felt


It is that reflection that has been shattered and scarred

And it is that reflection that thinks life is hard


It is that reflection that isn’t sure what to do

And all too often it’s that reflection that stares back at you


But, that reflection also knows she is a child of her Creator

That He breathed life into her being and lovingly made her


It is that reflection that is surprisingly strong

Who knows what is right and knows what is wrong


It is that reflection that sees the world around her with eyes of love

And it is that reflection that is grateful for a God that willingly gave up His Son.


It is that reflection that stands firm when things get rough

And it is that reflection that knows who she is and knows her stuff


It is that reflection that is grounded in truth and strengthened by love

And it is that reflection that knows she’s been showered with blessings from above


It is that reflection that knows how to hope when all seems lost

And it is that reflection that knows that life is worth whatever the cost


Whatever heartache and struggles and even the pain

Because this world is not my home, I have so much more to gain


So I KNOW before Whom I stand

I stand before the God of the universe and He holds my hand.


I stand strong and tall and proud and free

Because I am loved by a Father that allows me to be me


I KNOW before Whom I stand and whose reflection I see,

I stand before God and I stand before me.


Kendra
July 25, 2011