In Luke 1, Mary, the mother of Jesus, shares a moment with her cousin Elizabeth as they celebrate Mary’s pregnancy. Mary’s words have since been named the “Magnificat.” She declares, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation” (Luke 1:46b-50, NIV).
One of the newest authors at Kingdom Winds, Sharon Swain, emulates Mary’s Magnificat through her poetry: Sharon’s soul glorifies the Lord, and she shares this with her readers.
The last few years have been tumultuous for all of us, and Sharon reflects on this in her poetry. But she goes deeper than just navigating our crazy world. Sharon adopts a posture of vulnerability to magnify the Lord.
Identity is something we all struggle with. For the believer, our identity is to be hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). We know this with our minds because Scripture says so, but living this reality with our hearts is another matter. Sharon shares her struggle to hide herself in Christ and live this truth authentically through her poetry. In her words, we can find ourselves. And in the Scriptures she pairs with her work, we can find God’s heart for those who love Him.
Sharon’s latest book, All My Desire: Soaking in God’s Presence, reminds me of another Scripture: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1). You see, when the deer is thirsty, all it desires is water. We are a people of thirsty souls, and Jesus offers us Living Water (John 7). As Sharon learned to hide herself in Christ, she learned the truth of Psalm 42: when “to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21), Christ is all we desire.
Sharon’s desire for her readers is that they would join her in soaking in the presence of God, that they would linger and allow God to speak, and that is the desire of us at Kingdom Winds, too. We long to hear the Lord speak and see His people respond. We magnify your words as you magnify the Lord.
Sharon accomplishes this through her poetry. Won’t you join us as we magnify the Lord together? Read Sharon’s book and soak in the Lord’s presence. And then share with us here at Kingdom Winds when the Lord speaks. Allow your own soul to magnify the Lord, and if He leads you to share, allow us to help.
Written by Codi Ribitzki
All My Desire
SOAKING IN GOD’S PRESENCE
Devotional Poetry by Sharon Swain