I sometimes fight dependence on God like a 14-month-old baby boy before a much needed nap. I don’t share the all worries of my heart with God even though I know He already knows what they are and I know that He really cares about me. In my own self-reliance I am humbled in the awareness that I need Him desperately to just breathe.
I feel like if I am honest with you and with God, I am letting everyone down. But… as His strength is made perfect in my weakness I am being transparent enough to admit that I need God desperately to be me.
Maybe…
…I need to say no to another serving opportunity.
…I need say more words of grace.
…I need to let the dust settle on ideas instead of immediately pushing the launch button.
…I need to take a rest in His Word even more.
…I need to not apologize for my failures.
God, I need rest.
When I’m weary, worn out, and overwhelmed… for reasons that I can’t control or those that I can, I go to God.
God doesn’t grow weary, He doesn’t need rest. God is not the source of my problems but the answer to them. God doesn’t cause my circumstances but He gives me wisdom to journey through them. God doesn’t overwhelm but holds me up when I am.
God is not the originator of the difficult but He serves those times as reminders that I must fall back on His original plan of dependence. His passions are planted deep in my heart…. the cry of the vulnerable and the orphaned, and the message of the gospel. They are not there to overwhelm, but to bring His perfection in me and to foster dependence.
So in my needy dependence, in my increased awareness of God, I translate this into a call to be even stronger and more courageous as I acknowledge that God is my battle cry. Sometimes I will be silent, sometimes I will blow my horn loud. My important “to-do” is my dependence on Him.
Wisdom tells me I to stay still in His lap.
Wisdom prompts my awareness of my need.
Wisdom tells me that my God never fails.
In my alone-ness, in my darkness, in my pity–parties, in my joy times, God’s presence promises His companionship, strength and courage. His completeness brings rest to my mind, my heart, my soul. And when I make my lists I know I possess the strength of His Spirit. My “nexts” are complete as long as I rely on my God.
I can relax, rest, and recover.
Each of our journeys looks different. Is yours wearing you out? Are you worn to a frazzle? God knows this and asks us to rest, rest in Him, and that’s awesome!
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (My new favorite verse!)
Resting in Him is a daunting task. What is God asking of you this year or today?
1 comment:
All I can say is wow....wow....wow. (I think that is what you said in a facebook message to me the other day) Your new favorite verse is the one I claimed and prayed often from August through December. Around the middle of August my health suddenly spiraled downward very quickly. I was having lots of lower back problem, abdominal pain, and even some kidney problems. I went through a series of tests and was overwhelmed at the results. Every test revealed another problem area. I am retired Army and have been raised as a warrior and never had any health issues. I was crushed, afraid, even doubted. I was reading the book of Isaiah in my quiet time when all of this occured and one morning I came across this verse, this very verse. I cried, I prayed, and cried and prayed some more. I claimed the healing and comfort of this verse every day, every day. The Lord has been so awesome....awesome. I had some surgery, physical therapy, and some reassurance from my doctors and I returned to work on December 2. It is difficult to really articulate the joy the Lord has given me through this verse. Rich Mullins said it like this "
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
Your new favorite verse is a good one........ :-)
Blessings
Dave
Proverbs 31: 8-9
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