“God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.”
Is there a mountain in front of you today that seems impossible to climb? With God as your Guide and Shepherd you will get to the top of it. You will stand upon that mountain and see all that He brought you through. You won’t lose your footing because He is right there protecting you. Rest from the climb is coming and the view from the pinnacle will be breathtaking!
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”
Quiet your mind a moment. Imagine how it feels to rest between the Lord’s shoulders. I feel joy, delight, peace, and so much safety wrapping me up tightly in warmth and the scent of Heaven. It’s beautiful.
We are shielded all day long. We can rest, we can let go, and we can be ourselves because He wants us that way – just how He created us.
I can think of no better, safer, more joyful, and freeing place to be then in God’s presence – resting between the shoulders of the King of Heaven’s Armies.
As you navigate all that today holds in store, I pray that you pull up this image of being tucked in and held by the One who’s footstool is the heavens. Let that wash over you and bathe you in peace and confidence. He’s got you and yours. You are so loved. Peace be with you.
I lift up the one who needs some peace today. The tug of to-do lists, others’ expectations, and lack of restful sleep has them at their breaking point. The exhaustion is smothering and they just need a place to breathe. Please intervene, Jesus. Speak calm to the chaos, silence to the demanding voices, and peaceful rest to the tired mind and body. Your presence dispels worry, pushes out fear, ushers in joy, and delivers them into a spacious place of safety. The pressure that stifles is lifted. They can breathe You in. The fragrance of Your breath as You speak life to their soul is scented with love and peace. It is full of healing. Thank you for meeting them right where they are and wrapping them up in Your arms.
I pray for the one who is wrestling with uncertainty. They are at a crossroads right now and have choices to make. Voices of friends and family are coming at them from all sides. Noise, chatter, and strong opinions are overwhelming, and they can’t hear themselves think. They want so much to do the right thing, to follow You, and please You.
I pray that You will silence the noise and bring them out into a spacious place where they can rest their mind in stillness and peace. Give them a safe place to truly hear Your voice. You have guided them in the past, and You will do it again. Please speak to them in the unique way that You created them to hear Your voice. May they encounter You in intimate and startling ways as You reveal their next steps and show them how to proceed. Remind them that You are the Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end. You see their entire journey laid out before You. You know the way.
I pray this beloved one will trust You, will believe that they hear You calling them forward, and will respond with belief that You are for them. Thank you for filling them with confidence and purpose. Thank you for guiding them along the life-road You created for them.
In Your beautiful name, Jesus,
Amen
Isaiah 30:21 NIV “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
I came across this verse this morning. The gentle and sweet way it landed on my heart, bringing a pinprick of hot tears to my eyes, reminded me that Jesus knows what is going on and how it ends.
For many of us there are seasons, however long or brief, where we simply do not know what to do. These 13 words were a soothing and compassionate balm to my soul – healing, hope, and rest. He’s got this. There is nothing I can do and nothing that I have to do.
He will sort it, He will heal it, He will protect us from it, and He will get us through it. Keep your eyes on Him, my friend, just that. Nothing more is needed. We can rest.
Peace has many different faces and invades every situation. It can be quiet and unobserved, waiting to be noticed. It happens in the wee hours of the morning while rocking a tired, cranky baby, praying for rest and calm until suddenly you feel it— peace. It was there waiting, gently and softly. Rest. Peace. All is well; you are safe and secure. Sheltered.
Peace is there on an ordinary day when things are flowing smoothly, life is pleasant, and people are kind.
Peace is there in the absence of storms, just as real, alive, and powerful as it is during grueling trials that seem endless. Peace is there when the Doctor takes a deep breath and says, “I’m so sorry. You have breast cancer.” Peace keeps you from losing yourself to terror when desperation blasts in and you feel like you are drowning and have no control. Peace is there in the middle of the “what-ifs,” saying, “Yes! What if you are healed? What if you are well taken care of and never alone in this? What if you are held in arms that are bigger than all your fears, sheltered amid all this hurt and chaos? What if? What if…”
Peace reminds you that it was there before this storm hit, and it will be there forever after. Peace lifts your face and asks you to fasten your gaze steadily into the eyes of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. It is Jesus; peace is Jesus. Such calm, such safety, such rest.
My searching and desire for peace lead directly to Jesus. I won’t find it inside myself. That will fall short every time. I have tried being self-reliant and strong enough. The One who created me, when I was but a thought in His mind, wants me to feel peace, to know He is working out all things for good, according to that beautiful, unique plan that is my life. Your life. The time He took to carefully place us right where we are, surrounded by the people and circumstances that He brought into being, shows that He knows what He is doing. We win because He is victorious over death and sin. It is ok to not know what to do if you know the One who does. It is ok not to have it figured out. He already did that.
Can we walk out not knowing? We do it every day, don’t we? We wake up and go. However, the going is easier when we understand that He has us in His hands and that nothing comes toward us that He has not first filtered through hands of love, a mind of infinite wisdom, and a heart that loves us fiercely, intensely, and intimately. This is a wild love. It is not tame or controllable. Yet, in this fierce and protective love, we find the greatest of peace. Jesus.
Jesus and His disciples had little if any leisure time during His time of ministry. The crowds were relentless. People were anxious to be near Jesus, to listen to His revolutionary teaching that set them free and released them from bondage, fear, and legalism. They heard He had the power to heal them physically and spiritually, so they came in droves with their illness and pain, with those suffering from demonic harassment and chains, for a chance to see Him, touch Him, be healed.
Being fully God and fully man, Jesus felt the physical and mental exhaustion of always being “on” and the deep fatigue of being surrounded by the hurting, needy, and lost. So, Jesus rested. He was diligent in removing Himself and His disciples for periods of refreshment, and spiritual and physical re-filling, so they could return encouraged and strengthened for the next task. He gave Himself and His disciples permission to rest, eat, and get away from the urgency of humanity knocking at the door of their hearts.
Our days may not be filled with healing the sick and enemy-harassed, or with traveling dusty roads that parch the mouth, or teaching on hillsides in the hot sun, but He knows what our days are filled with—chaotic relationships, disappointments, dreams that seem far from being realized, illnesses, past regrets that haunt our peace and the daily annoyances and offenses that threaten to become bigger than they need to be.
Jesus understands the physical and mental exhaustion of taking care of everyone else and the things we take on that are not ours to carry. Is He calling you to go with Him for a spell, to refresh and soothe your mind, spirit, and body? He is giving you permission to rest. So, rest.
“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
If today has some unexpected twists and turns that bring fear, heaviness, and anxiety along for the ride, remember to run to Jesus. He is our protector, savior, and the lover of our souls. We are safe with Him. He is the light for our path and rest for our souls. You are loved. Peace be with you.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalm 32:8 NIV
The loving eye of God on me. Let that soak in for a second. The Lord of Heaven, God of Creation, King of Kings – His eye is on you and me. Tight, tense shoulders can drop. Fast, shallow breathing can slow and deepen. Overwhelmed, exhausted minds can let go and rest.
His eye is on you. He sees what is swirling around you, holding you captive to fear. He feels the heaviness of heartbreak in your wounded heart and spirit.
He will counsel you. He will show you the way to go, how to move forward, and how to let go. He sees the beautiful way ahead that He’s set up and planned just for you. Imagine His joy in knowing what is coming for you just around the next bend in the road, twist in the path, and over that next hill. He sees it and He is leading you toward it.
Right now the way He’s leading may not feel good, happy, or safe because you aren’t in control of it. You can’t see around the bend or over that hill, and that is so frightening. But remember, He can see what’s coming. Don’t miss the part of the scripture that says His loving eye is on you. Eyes full of love that see you exactly where you are on this life-road. Eyes filled with compassion, mercy, and love so great you can’t fathom it. Eyes full of hope, healing, and so much joy. He won’t let you miss it and He won’t take it away. He already set in motion the blessings, the good, the rest, the victory, and the peace. He’s got you.
Do you have that tiny bit of faith to trust Him? I think you do. It’s in there. He sees it. His spirit is fanning that tiniest of sparks into a flame with holy, eternal breath scented with heaven, joy, and His presence. His loving eye will never look away because you are His and you are so very loved. Peace be with you.
Extravagant Hope 