When life's challenges knock us sideways, instead of rocking ourselves back and forth with worry, we need a solid Rock to lean on.
A breathing space.
A place of shelter.
A refuge from the storms.
A haven of rest.
A place of dependency from where we are enabled to grow strong, become free.
Someone who we can rely on above all others.
We need a Saviour. We need Jesus. We need His joy. We need His peace.
We need grace to see, believe and receive how much God loves us beyond words, beyond our wildest imaginations, beyond life itself.
It can be so hard to believe we are the beloved of God when calamities come strong against us, can't it?
It can be hard to stay stable and remain calm in the mud and mire of our mess and miseries.
To fight the urge to give in to discouragement, to give up in despair.
To avoid cynicism creeping in.
To stay more focused on God's face and His amazing grace to help us live as overcomers, instead of pointing to our problems.
Much depends on what or who are we listening to.
Voices crowd our mind from our inner fears, from the past, the world, the enemy, from those who have hurt us.
Yet it is the gentle whispered words of Holy Spirit which our souls most need to listen to.
And His is the one voice we tend to lose most easily in the daily grind, in the swirl and whirl of noisy sound all around.
How might it look if we had a revelation of how much God loves us?
How might we live in the light of that knowledge?
I'm not sure yet. But I hope to find out in the months ahead.
Currently, my body needs more physical rest than usual as I recover from having flu, and my mind craves it too.
I'm aiming to devour God's word, meditate on its soul-transforming truth, seek more spiritual whitespace, embrace all that assists the process, and gradually learn to draw aside from all that hinders me from being fully at rest in Him.
As I try to rest grateful on His grace, rest in knowing who I am in Christ, rest in being a daughter of the King of kings and a woman of God, maybe I will grow to live more at ease with accepting how deeply loved I am by Him.
It would be so freeing to do that, wouldn't it? Maybe you have struggles in this area too. Let's share and learn together, shall we?
The song below is a great reminder of how our heavenly Father rejoices over each and every one of us and stills our anxious hearts with His love.
"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" ~ Zephaniah 3:17
Joining with you in trying "to rest grateful on His grace, rest in knowing who I am in Christ, rest in being a daughter of the King of kings and a woman of God." As I read this, it struck me how we not only need grace to "see" and "believe," but to "receive." May we open the arms of our hearts and receive Him! To truly receive the Father's song, the Father's love! Thank you for stirring my soul with His love today, Joy!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Trudy! We cannot advance much in understanding and living it out until we receive God's truth as a deep inner reality. I echo your heart's cry here. Thank you for joining me on the journey. May your soul remain "stirred with His love" today and always. :) x
DeleteSo blessed by this message Joy. Loved this >>> "We need grace to see, believe and receive how much God loves us beyond words, beyond our wildest imaginations, beyond life itself." Beautiful. I am in a similar place of wanting to devour God's word. Blessings. xoxo
ReplyDeleteDevour away, my friend. No-one who spends time deep in God's word will have wasted a moment of it. We need it like we need air to breathe and food to eat. The older I get the more I see how essential it is. May you bathe in His presence and enjoy seeking soul sanctuary, dear Beth. Blessings and love. xox :)
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