My fresh 'yes'.
It is no longer the destination that persuades me.
It rained on my birthday. Not a drizzle but not a downpour, something in between.
I watched the rain from the warmth of my favourite coffee shop. The wide windows and enveloping quiet of this gallery-turned-coffee shop make it the place I go whenever my only responsibility is myself.
Something about the light, the space, the air makes it easy to think. The books on the little swap shelf and the pieces of art on the wall invite me to pour forth my own.
As I reflected on my past year, I could feel my spirit stirring. I had not yet heard the Lord ask me for it, but my spirit desired to give it before the ask had come.
When I finished my personal prayer, I wrote this piece - it’s a bit of a Psalm, a bit of a prayer.
It is for those who also desire to give a fresh ‘yes’.
Before I share my piece, I wanted to introduce you to Works of Our Hands.
Beth and her husband are fully time missionaries who lead the House of Prayer in our area. She is a fellow Momma and a long-time Friend of Heart & Hope. Her pieces are beautiful and perfect Christmas presents. I love them and I know you will too. Visit her store and grab a pair for Christmas!
Here I am, Lord, and this is my fresh ‘yes’. ‘Yes’ to everything you have in mind for me. 'Yes' to the painful and hard things, to the beautiful and glorious things. This is my fresh ‘yes’. More confident than it has ever been before, not because I am more faithful or holy, but because I am older. Because I now have a longer track record of life with you, of your faithfulness, of your goodness, of your ways that don’t make sense, but are always good. I have evidence gathered now, not just hearsay from another. I have seen with my own eyes and felt with my own hands how you to bring to pass the most impossible things. . You, oh Lord, have shown yourself strong and mighty. May the whole earth declare this true of you. You alone deserve the highest praise. . So here is my fresh ‘yes’ even before you have asked it of me, even before the new year, the new assignment, the new trial. Here, Lord, is my 'yes' to you. It is not the ask that compels my ‘yes’ anymore, not the destination that persuades me of the worth of the journey. When I was younger, you led me by carrot and stick, I was an inexperienced lamb following only for the promise of fresh pastures. But now I have travelled enough miles with you to know that it is not the fresh pastures that sustain me, but the Shepherd who leads me. So wherever, whatever, whenever, Lord, this is my ‘yes’. It is a ‘yes’ not to the journey, the destination or the promise, but a ‘yes’ to you.
I know that it is a costly thing to give. A ‘yes’ to you is ‘yes’ to glory and suffering, promise and wilderness, purpose and persecution. It is a 'yes' to a life like yours - misunderstood and rejected but known and loved by the Father. It is costly, but you are worthy. . You, oh Lord, have done exceedingly great things in my short and fragile life. You continue to do exceedingly great things on the earth. Let all see that you are good and worthy. May we, your children, sing your praises day and night. Lifting our voices to you in continual worship. Recounting the stories of your faithfulness, enduring love and everlasting peace. May you be glorified through us, Lord. May our fresh ‘yes’ to you be not just a one-off confession but a resounding, repeating song we sing. Not just once a year or when the emotions arise, but every twist and turn along the way, at every sheer rock face and steep incline. May the ‘yes’ of our hearts resound louder still. . Oh, praise you, Lord, God of heaven and earth Maker of the skies, the stars and the air we breathe. Who else is more worthy of our ‘yes’? Who is more worthy of our lives given? . We are fragile and limited beings, We often overextend ourselves and overestimate our thoughts and opinions, Yet you do not despise the offering of our ‘yes’. You do not reject this ‘yes’ that we give. May your glory be shown in us, oh Heavenly Father. And may our ‘yes’ be the doorway in which you enter afresh into the limited space of our lives, Transforming us from plain clay vessels into highways for your glory. Take this weak and small ‘yes’, This loud and bold ‘yes’, This steady and thought-out ‘yes’ And Lord make something of it. For we, without you, are but created creatures roaming the earth, looking for something to give our ‘yes’ to. But in you we find a worthy One in whom we can confidently place our resounding, continual 'yes'. So, here I am. Here is my ‘yes’, fresh, free, full. Yours.
Until next time,
Love, Anna x
I just erased my 2026 goals and put, “Here I am, Lord, and this is my fresh ‘yes’.
‘Yes’ to everything you have in mind for me.
'Yes' to the painful and hard things, to the beautiful and glorious things.”
Happy birthday ✨