Be Still my Soul!

    I don't know how it works for all of you, but occasionally God uses pieces of poetry, maybe a quote, a song, to speak to the deep need of my heart in a most unexpected way. That's what God did in my heart tonight.   I was reading in Acts, felt that I could almost feel what the disciples were feeling as they watched Jesus ascend back into heaven.  I could almost feel the wonder, the loneliness, the sheer amazement of their hearts as they watched the object of their hope and joy and salvation, ascend to heaven.  I could imagine those men remembering Christ's words before He left.  Remembering the very heartbeat of the One they loved so dearly.  
    And then I kept hearing those words: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven?"  By all means they had a reason to stand there, open-mouthed and amazed!  But the two men in white robes were calling their eyes from gazing into heaven, to looking at the mission before them. 
    Those words kept going around in my thoughts this afternoon.  I'm wrestling with a longing to see oneness; to see real unity, real love among God's people.  It's a aching longing.  And I found myself thinking of the glories of heaven - that God's will, will be done to the ultimate degree.  I thought about the absolute void of disunity, the void of splits and divisions. The single purpose of living, being worship of the only One who matters to every last person there - our King!  
    And I was reminded of the song, "Be still my soul": "Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side..."  and I stopped there.  I thought about Christ's longing for unity among His people.  Am I longing with Christ for that?  Does He desire that, too?  If so, it doesn't matter a ounce if the rest of the world doesn't - He does.  
    It doesn't matter if it's pretty dark.  It doesn't matter what criticism follows.  It just doesn't matter - we're in it with Christ.  He doesn't want us to wait for heaven for that sheer joy.  Heaven starts here - are we with Him or not? 
    And that thought just broke my heart.  I want to be a instrument of peace while I have life - a instrument that can be used in the smallest way to bring about God's will just as it's done in heaven, here on earth.  
    "That they may become perfectly one..."