Taken Aside By Jesus

At times, I find myself "taken aside by Jesus," so that He can answer my prayer . . . I've asked Him to "Search my heart and know me and show me the things in me that offend Him." (Psalm 139:23-24) Sometimes, He "takes me aside" to show me things through His eyes. He wants me to grasp His will and His purposes fully. Often times, Jesus "takes me aside" to just sit with me in silence. But, mostly, He "takes me aside" to embrace me with His love and encourage me in my faith. I've learned that being "taken aside by Jesus" is a gift of God's great love. Though He leads me into the desert, in the place where doubt dominates and all hope seems gone, I am filled with peace . . . because it is there, where I am utterly alone, that I realize . . . Jesus, Himself, has "taken me aside." 

"Taken aside by Jesus,
To feel the touch of His hand;
To rest for a while in the shadow
Of the Rock in a weary land.

Taken aside by Jesus,
In the loneliness dark and drear,
Where no other comfort may reach me,
Than His voice to my heart so dear.

Taken aside by Jesus,
To be quite alone with Him,
To hear His wonderful tones of love
'Mid the silence and shadows dim.

Taken aside by Jesus,
Shall I shrink from the desert place;
When I hear as I never heard before,
And see Him 'face to face'?" 

- L.B. Cowan, Streams in the Desert