#66: Rise and Shine

As she lays in bed contemplating her day ahead, she feels exhausted before her feet ever hit the floor. It all seems over whelming; so much to do and no opportunity to get it done. The demands on her were coming from all directions. As she takes a deep breath of defeat, she feels a twinge of bitterness as she reaches for her Bible. It feels as if it is a burden to spend some of her precious time on this required task. The thought, “This does no good; I am wasting my time,” begins to form in the back of her mind.

As she opens her Bible and starts to read, a passage she skims across grabs her attention:

Proverbs 7:24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

Her interest is slightly awakened. She wonders if God could possibly have something for her today. She knows she is needing something to make it through another day, but can help really come from the book she is holding in her lap? She can feel the dryness of her spirit and giving up is just a step away. She suppresses those feelings and decides to keep reading and watching the words on the page for encouragement or a message from the Lord. She fumbles through the pages looking for another passage, and she pauses to read:

John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The passage instantly resonates with her condition. “That is it. I think I am thirsty!” She knows that her spirit is dry, cracked, and barren. It has been a long time since she has reached for her Bible. It has been a while since she has had a meaningful conversation with God. As she holds her Bible, she thinks back to a time when she was excited to open her Bible and capture something new from the Lord. She remembers walking down the street talking to Him.

She pauses and meditates on this verse and how it relates to how she is feeling. She slowly realizes that refreshment does not come from accomplishment; refreshment comes from the Lord Jesus. It comes from pressing into Him and getting closer to Him.

But how can she get back to that point? How will she be able to rekindle that relationship? Errantly she believes that it would take an unimaginable effort to get back to the Lord when in reality a simple prayer of confession and forgiveness would bring the nearness back. By not acknowledging this fact, anxiety rushes over her as she falsely believes a great gulf exists between her and God. As she thinks about this, the feelings of defeat begin to well up again. Trying to hold onto the idea that the Lord will refresh, she flips to another passage and picks a few more verses to read.

Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

The words within this verse shot off the page and she has to read them again. She knows the Lord is trying to get her attention. “The Lord keeps me! I was thinking that I had to try to get back to Him, but He is actually holding on to me. He keeps me!” She realizes that she has been trying to do God’s job and it was exhausting. She has been trying to get close to Him through doing good, laboring and striving. She realizes that she had finally given up because God seemed unattainable.

She understands now that her motive is what is exhausting her. Laboring to attain God’s favor leads to defeat. Laboring out of gratitude and love is refreshing! Trying to attain the unattainable will not last long. Serving out of gratitude will last forever.

She feels a rush of refreshment come over her as she realizes the Lord Jesus Christ is near and He is keeping her close to Him. All she has to do is just reach out. A sense of love and gratitude for her wonderful Lord rushes over her.

God keeps her and her expression of love and gratitude is all she needs to keep her heart near to Him. She takes a moment to close her eyes and relax into her Lord. She tells Him that she is glad He is near and that she is sorry for doubting His presence. Now, with her relationship with the Lord reunited, she still feels the pressure from the day ahead. She can still feel the dread of life and knowing she has to face it alone makes it worse. Before she leaves her bed, she decides to flip to one last passage in her Bible.

Psalm 60:11-12 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

Tears start to well up in her eyes as she now sees that the Lord wants her to know that He is with her throughout her day. He is fighting for her. She is not alone. He gives her help. Not only is your Lord keeping her, but He is also fighting for her!

What an amazing morning she has had with the Lord. She opened her Bible with a sense of resentment, and she is now closing it with a sense of refreshment. She knows God is real and very near and is speaking directly to her this morning. As her feet hit the floor, she is still in awe of what she has just experienced. She heard God this morning!

Numbers 6
Psalms 60
Proverbs 7
John 4

Have a face to face conversation with your Lord:

Lord, when I open my Bible, is it out of duty or out of anticipation?

Lord, do I let myself be refreshed by your words?

Lord, am I laboring to get closer to you or am I laboring to show my gratitude?

Lord, I am looking forward to my time with you. I anticipate a message from you and I know you will speak to me. I know that you love me and keep me.

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