Strength

Isaiah 40:31 says: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

It's hard to remember this when you are drowning in your own to do list or when you are working so hard that you forget to take time for yourself. I was having a conversation with a friend of mine and he tells me he is slowing down a bit. I was shocked because that was not the man I have gotten to know. His reasoning for slowing down was that he was afraid that he wouldn't see tomorrow. He has some other things going on where he is questioning what the Lord has for him or where the Lord has him going and his mind is all crazy. The conversation ended with me telling him that it is when we finally stand still the Lord can speak to us. It is when we finally stop moving that he can show us where to go and when to go there. 

I wonder why we spend so much time being busy and trying to figure things out on our own when we already have someone who has everything figured out for us. Why do we spend so much time not waiting on the Lord to direct us, not giving the Lord a chance to be our all in all. Why do we have to be reminded that it is in him where we find our strength?

My challenge to you today and everyday moving forward to remember to take time to rest in the Lord and use him to find your direction and strength.

Communication

I was scolded today. The Lord brought something to my attention and it floored me in it's simplicity.

I was in the process of cutting off a potential romantic interest because of lack of communication. All of a sudden I hear a voice say "You can go days without speaking to your friends and loved ones and not think anything of it, what makes this any different?"

It got me to thinking. We can go days, weeks, months without talking to people and it won't be a big deal. We don't question if they love us. We don't question if they are still friends with us, so why is it any different with those relationships that we place romantic attachment too? What makes those relationships so different that we freak out if we haven't heard from them in a few minutes let alone a few hours or a few days? Why are we so quick to cut them lose and question the relationship when there is a lack of communication?

I believe the Lord was telling me that there is no difference. While we have gotten caught up in what each type means, there truly is no difference. I believe he was trying to tell me that we don't really need to talk someone all the time to be connected to them. That once they are placed in our lives for however long the Lord sees fit, we are connected to them whether we talk all day or once a week.

I believe the Lord was telling me that the same goes for him. While we are told we need to be in constant communication with him, there will be times in which we don't speak - for whatever reason. This does not mean we aren't still connected to him and that we should cut him loose.

My prayer for you today is that even in the silence, you feel honored, cherished, and loved by those connected to you.

Listen to the whisper

I couldn't remember the last time the Lord meet me here - in the still of the night. Well maybe not still, but in the peace that is the night time.

I fell as if He needed me to let go for a minute. He needed me to completely surrender. As of late there's been so much crowding my mind... Maybe he needed to get me to stop and spend time with him.

As weird as it sounds, HE cares enough about us to carve time out for us and when we become too busy for him, HE meets us where we are most vulnerable and able to listen to him.

I am reminded that even those of great faith need time alone with HIM. I'm not sure if it's just me, but it seemed the harder the task, the more urgent he is to get us alone. Now you may disagree, but I present to you Joseph. How long was he in prison? Years upon Years. Until finally he led the land through the famine and blessed his family. What about David? He spent time on the run before he became King. Speaking of Kings, Jesus the King of Kings, the night before the crucifixion spent time alone with HIM gathering strength. I could go on as there's plenty of people in the Bible who spent time with HIM before stepping into their destinies.

I believe HE needs to get us alone to give us our directions. HE won't do it using bells and whistles. He'll do it in the still of the night. He'll do it when there's no other distractions. He'll do it in the whisper. When was the last time that you allowed yourself to listen to the whisper.

My challenge to you on this Resurrection Sunday and beyond is too take time to listen to the whisper as that just may be when you'll receive your directions.

When the noise stops

Hey there. I can't believe that it's been a year since we last talked. While I know a year may not seem like a long time, it is. A year is someone's lifetime. A year could be the difference between a hello and a good bye.

 As we get older, a year becomes more and more important in the grand scheme of things. A year goes by quick when we get so caught up in "living"  that we forget to have a life. We get so caught up in "living" that we forget to do for ourselves. We forget who we are.

I am reminded of a conversation I had with a co-worker. He tells me that while he normally is a positive person, dealing with the customers on the job had made him jaded. This made me wonder. What is his positivity wrapped in that he was able to become jaded? What was his foundation in? It was at that moment, in the still of the night, when I heard God's voice say "remind him whose he is". It was in that moment that he reminded me whose I was also.

Isiah 40:31 says: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

It is in the moments, when the noise stops, that he reminds us who we are in him. It is in the moments, when the noise stops, that he reminds us that our strength comes from him. It is in him that we find our rest and our peace. It is in him that we can rest all burdens.

I believe that in this season, He is reminding us that He should be where we find ourselves wrapped in.. Quite frankly, there's no place I'd rather be.