The New Year brings thoughts of renewal of many things: our ambitions, our motivations, our commitments, our spirits. For the first post of 2012 on our PNC Ladies' blog, I wanted to send out an invitation to rest your spirit in preparation for this renewal process. When I went to the doctor this week, I took a book with me to read while waiting. I read some thoughts on the process of dew and how it renews the earth. Let me share some of that with you...
“I will be as the dew to Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.” (Hosea 14:5).
What is the promise that God gave to Israel? Notice Genesis 27:28. Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: The amazing thought here is that God will not only give them what they need, He will Himself BE that to them, all that which they need: I will be as the dew unto Israel. This ensures spiritual blessings in heavenly things; and it follows upon the healing of their backslidings, for pardoning mercy is always accompanied with renewing grace! He will refresh them with His comforts, so that their souls shall be as a watered garden, Isaiah 58:11. And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (This from Matthew Henry's Commentary. No, I did not have a stack of commentaries in the doctor's office!)
How can you experience this dew? These promises aren't just for the children of Israel!
You will find this dew in your quiet time! When you choose to walk through your pain or your turmoil instead of drowning it in busyness. The fact remains that because we live in a world filled with fallenness, we must come to those places of inner refreshment, or our souls will shrivel up. How thankful and comforted I am to be homesick for those quiet moments of inner rest. Think about the role dew plays in nature. “I will be like the dew to Israel” (Hosea 14:5). Dew is God's provision for renewing the earth. Quietness and absorption bring the dew. But the experts say it will never gather in a wind. The temperatures must fall, wind must cease, and both come to "still point"—before it can yield its invisible particles of moisture to revive flowers and me. Why do I so often need to be forced to "still point" when it is such a rewarding experience? Lord, I know you will bring meaning out of all of my turmoil. I rest in You.
You may protest because there just doesn't seem to any time in your life to do these things. You are swamped by so many expectations from your peers, whether real or self inflicted. There simply seems to be no time for tending your own spirit.
I hear you. I've been there! But I'm not going to back off. I'll concede that there are times in life when we have to be content merely to snatch moments when we simply “chew” on the strength of a word, a sentence from Scripture, or a refreshing thought from a friend who challenges us to keep becoming more like Christ. Just one insight that we can own, that will get us through the day. (One way that I do this is by keeping a few “snatch books” handy around my house or in my van.) Sometimes Christ will take a word, a sentence or a thought and multiply it to our souls like he once did with bread and fish. This is why it is so important to memorize Scripture so that in any idle moment, whether we are waiting for children, trains or cashiers, we can meditate on His truth day and night. Think of memorization as a way of packing a spiritual lunch that can be nourishing at another time.(These thoughts are from High Call High Privilege by Gail MacDonald. This is the book I took with me.)
“I will be as the dew to Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.” (Hosea 14:5).
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How can you experience this dew? These promises aren't just for the children of Israel!
You will find this dew in your quiet time! When you choose to walk through your pain or your turmoil instead of drowning it in busyness. The fact remains that because we live in a world filled with fallenness, we must come to those places of inner refreshment, or our souls will shrivel up. How thankful and comforted I am to be homesick for those quiet moments of inner rest. Think about the role dew plays in nature. “I will be like the dew to Israel” (Hosea 14:5). Dew is God's provision for renewing the earth. Quietness and absorption bring the dew. But the experts say it will never gather in a wind. The temperatures must fall, wind must cease, and both come to "still point"—before it can yield its invisible particles of moisture to revive flowers and me. Why do I so often need to be forced to "still point" when it is such a rewarding experience? Lord, I know you will bring meaning out of all of my turmoil. I rest in You.
You may protest because there just doesn't seem to any time in your life to do these things. You are swamped by so many expectations from your peers, whether real or self inflicted. There simply seems to be no time for tending your own spirit.
I hear you. I've been there! But I'm not going to back off. I'll concede that there are times in life when we have to be content merely to snatch moments when we simply “chew” on the strength of a word, a sentence from Scripture, or a refreshing thought from a friend who challenges us to keep becoming more like Christ. Just one insight that we can own, that will get us through the day. (One way that I do this is by keeping a few “snatch books” handy around my house or in my van.) Sometimes Christ will take a word, a sentence or a thought and multiply it to our souls like he once did with bread and fish. This is why it is so important to memorize Scripture so that in any idle moment, whether we are waiting for children, trains or cashiers, we can meditate on His truth day and night. Think of memorization as a way of packing a spiritual lunch that can be nourishing at another time.(These thoughts are from High Call High Privilege by Gail MacDonald. This is the book I took with me.)
At the start of this New Year, ask the Lord to help you become still so He can refresh your spirit and prepare you for what lies ahead in 2012.
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