God Awaits
Friends, God awaits your presence, will you stop what you are doing and allow Him to rejuvenate your Spirit in this moment?
Isaiah 40:29-31 HCSB "He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint."
Too often we get caught up in our daily lives, careers, family routines and we fail to create space for God to minister to our hearts. Can you relate? Are you always rushing somewhere or striving to do the next "thing"? This message is not to make us feel guilty, but instead it is one of renewed hope, awareness, and courage as we realize the importance of making this precious time with God a priority and the significant benefits that come from spending quality time with Him.
I want to encourage you to create that space now, despite all the commitments you have and even if conditions are not ideal at the moment.
Friends, I need to be transparent for a moment because for months I too have been struggling to slow down long enough to give God more time than my schedule allowed. A dear friend invited me to spend some time with her in the Caribbean and can I just say I have never taken more naps or had more reminders of just how precious our time with the Lord is than this very week.
Yesterday I went snorkeling and whenever I first attempt to snorkel, I always find myself struggling to breathe soon as I put my face in the water. It takes practice and patience, it's something I have to ease into and remind myself to breathe normal and not panic LOL.
Once my breathing slowed down and I was able to float on the surface I instantly began watching the sun rays dancing on my arms under the water. It was pure heaven and God's peace began to wash over me. I felt a sense of calm as I allowed myself to drift and become one with the current. I began thinking and wondering if this is how we are supposed to be all the time? Filled with God's indescribable peace and just going with the flow of His will. It was a total and complete surrender to the moment, and it became effortless. What I realized is my spirit has been craving this level of contentment which only comes from being in God's presence.
I began asking God to forgive me when I fight His current and where He is trying to lead me. I realized that when I fight the current, I struggled to stay afloat but when I stopped moving, I began to rise to the surface where I was meant to be all along. What a great reminder and realization that I have been out of sync for quite some time. I've been trying to live life by swimming franticly (trying to do everything and get everything done in an unrealistic amount of time) instead of just trusting God's timing and allowing Him to guide me.
How many of you feel out of sync?
God's Word tells us to "be still" (Psalm 46:10) we were not designed to be people who are on the go all the time, we were designed to have a relationship with God which consists of being still and listening to Him. So, we need to determine how we will nurture and sustain our relationship with Him. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to give Him your time? I encourage you to pray about this and see what God lays on your heart.
Psalm 46:10 NIV
"He says, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The HCSB sidenote for this verse says, "The psalmist encouraged his listeners to stop struggling and experience peace. The hearers are instructed to relax and know the greatness of God. Serenity or peace comes only in the acknowledgement of God's lordship in your life and your surrender to his will."
Sounds a lot like snorkeling...when we stop struggling and we allow ourselves to float with the current, we experience peace. We are instructed to relax and surrender to God's will and when we do, we no longer fight the current. Instead, we gain awareness of what true peace, happiness, and contentment really looks and feels like.
I hope and pray that you will take time to allow God's love to wash over you, allow Him to minister to your heart and show you what true peace feels like.
It's tangible, trust me, you will want more of it once you experience it!
Have a blessed day my friend!
Written by: Jill Theriault
Crossroads Coaching - @crossroadscoachingongodstime
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