When The Dawn Breaks

By Steven Kielley

When the Dawn Breaks is a gathering together of heart-stirring and spiritual-renewing stories. Inside the soul of every person is a desire to escape the realm of the natural and mundane and enter the supernatural dimension of God's presence. As paint on a canvas brings forth a picture, the words in this book will quicken your imagination and stir you to attain a dimensions in God you may have not yet achieved.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9781641406642

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When the

Dawn Breaks

Spiritual Renewal and Inner Healing

Steven Kielley

Artwork by:

Uriah Fracassi

Uriah Fracassi Creative, LLC

ISBN 978-1-64140-663-5 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64258-903-0 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-64140-664-2 (digital)

Copyright © 2018 by Steven Kielley

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

When the Dawn Breaks and the Shadows Flee Away

The sun rose slowly on the eastern horizon as a mass of red peeking its head above the covers of the night. A new day is born, and with it, the challenges and disappointments of life were not far behind. What is man that thou art mindful of him? the psalmist wrote. Really in the whole spectrum of creation, man seemed so insignificant and out of place in the vast symphony of color and creation.

The sky this morning looked as though it had been painted with the brush strokes of our Creator, each adding its own significant blast of color in the portrait of the new day. The air is crisp as I walk under the canopy of a new day. The cool air is tantalizing as I fill my lungs with its sweetness. It is great to experience another morning, to be born into another day, each so different as if it had its own personality. Thank you, Lord, for this amazing picture of life, reminding me of who you are in this ever so small glimpse of your glory. It’s the morning, the beginning of a new chapter in my life, and I look forward to what is in store. Oh, the joy of being able to walk and breathe and process the grandeur of a world in peace. This morning is like an island even if for a moment that is separated from the turbulence and trials of life. This morning, God walks with me as He does each day and I with Him. In this day, I sense not only the peace of God but the power of the most high. Like a seed ready to burst from the soil of my obedience, I sense the peace and security along with God’s authority. These afford me the power to challenge the fears and doubts that lay in wait for me as I start my day.

He knows my name; He calls to me in the wind and touches my face with the breeze. My heart yearns to hold Him and to know Him in a more revealing way. It is enough to know that He is there, encouraging me along the way, speaking softly to me through my ministry to others. Coaxing me, urging me to come along with Him to places where angels walk and heaven’s breezes blow without interference. But, Lord, I say, show me your ways. Lead me on your paths. Please hold me close and never let me go. The world sends out its challenging calls of duty, its echoes through my calendar of obligations. No time, no time, we must move on, it speaks. The clock speaks and declares, Life is fading, and your body is aging. So much to do, so little time. I feel myself drifting, carried on its waves, spinning round and round from point to point. I hear laughter and the sound of crying, the cries of the lost and dying. Lord, show me you way. So much to do. The day faded. Gone is the joy of the morning, the bright colors of the day have turned to gray. I hear a voice calling in the distance; it calls my name, beckoning to me to step closer. It fades when thoughts drive it away, and the clock challenges again, beckoning me on.

Pain now steps into view, and a blanket of darkness descends upon my day, a blanket of uncertainty trying to obscure the coming dawn. My strength is gone, and I move robotically from point to point. Oh, to be in the secret place of the most high. Oh, to sit in the halls of peace and eat from the table of contentment, where there is never a night and time is no more. Again, I hear my name patiently spoken, beckoning my attention. Give heed, it says, for I am near, and with Me are the joys you seek. Come to Me you who are weary, and I will give you peace. As I draw near the voice, its sweet fragrance of peace lingers in the air. The colors appear in a kaleidoscope of beauty. The day becomes as silent as the night, but light bursts inside my heart. Dawn has broken inside my soul, and the shadows have fled away—the shadows of hurt, the shadows of disappointment and fear. Anxiety is no longer present, and a choir, a most beautiful heavenly choir, sings to the author of time as he declares time is no more.

As if in another world yet in my own, I see the kingdom of God all around me. It’s God’s secret place for those who are weary. As an oasis in a desert, as an island in the midst of an ocean, it’s a place of refreshing. My soul drinks from the depths of the cool water of God’s kindness and grace. My heart receives the healing touch of the master’s hand and beats as strong and as rapid as a musician’s drum. Oh, to stay and never leave, to live in this garden paradise of God’s provision. But no, it is time to stand and face the day again, for in it others will find direction through my experience and encouragement through my testimony. As Columbus boldly and excitedly raced to shore after his excursion, I also run with youthful vigor to face the giants of the day.

A Soft Voice Calling in the Silence

The sun is rising, and its brilliance intensifies as its rays speed across the landscape of a sleeping world, beckoning to those in slumber to rise and share in a new day of hope. The birds sing a cheerful morning song as if in play. The mist begins to rise and find shelter from the heat of the day. The breeze answers the call and pushes it on its way.

It’s another masterpiece of beauty unfolding in front of my eyes. I can almost see the Creator as He conducts the symphony of sounds and the constantly changing brilliant colors. He smiles as He watches the sparrows and children chasing butterflies. A rooster crows out his greeting to the day. A screen door squeaks open. The water in a creek sings its rippling song as it searches for the sea.

Down in my heart, I feel a quickening excitement as though this day is different than any that have preceded it. Yesterday is gone, and with it, the struggles it left behind in the chambers of my mind vanish into the vastness of the receding blackness of the night. The bright and morning star has driven away the terrors of the blackness. The sulking demons that prey upon the unsuspecting and plant the tares of fear in the fields of dreams and promises have sought out the pits where they sulk in the shadows again, waiting for the night. My eyes see things in the light of God’s shining promises, and my thoughts fall into line with the dawning day’s symphony of sounds.

How small I seem in the vastness of it all. Who am I that God is mindful of me? Yet with all the wonders of His creation, in His eyes I am worth a thousand sunrises. He smiles at me as He sees my eyes like saucers taking in the beauty of the day. "I have given you this as a gift this morning, My child. Let it remind you of My love and its constant freshness rising as the dawn on each day you awake. Come join Me in the garden. Please walk beside Me. Smell the freshness of the flowers. Feel the warmth of the sun upon your face