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Respite For the Weary
So often, we as believers choose to go through our days with parched souls. The well of water is available; it's pure and refreshing, but we choose to live life on the run. His water REVIVES the soul, but we pass by it-- there's just no time to linger in his love. Or maybe, we choose to drink culture's kool-aid instead; the sugary drink is luring, but then it leaves us wanting. Until we understand that nothing will quench our thirst like his living water, our souls will remain parched.
The little girl in Christmas Morning has another mystery to unwrap! What will it be?
After dancing to the music box of joy (see previous post: https://www.respitefortheweary.com/post/the-making-of-christmas-morning-the-third-gift), the little girl sits down to open up... a beautiful crytstal goblet. And guess what? This goblet in not empty! Not only that, it is never empty! As a matter of fact, the goblet is full to overflowing! (By the way, Acacia, the illustrator of Christmas Morning, envisioned this picture in her head and then beautifully illustrated it for the book. I'm so thankful for her thoughts because the picture I originally had in my mind was so limited; I simply saw the little girl daintily sipping out of the goblet. But Acacia's picture is so much more accurate! It portrays abundance! This particular illustration ended up speaking into all the other pages of the book, giving Christmas Morning a "Narnia" feel.)
The name of this gift is: the goblet of living water. And as you can surmise, it is symbolic for the water that Jesus gives us through his word and his Spirit.
So often, we as believers choose to go through our days with parched souls. The well of water is always available. This water is pure and refreshing, but we opt out and instead live life on the run. His water revives the soul, but we decide that there's no time to linger in his love. Or maybe, we are drinking, but we choose culture's kool-aid instead; as a result, we are actually more depleted than revived. Until we understand that nothing will quench our thirst like his living water, our souls will remain parched.
Hear Jesus' plea:
“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14
Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters... Isaiah 55:1
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:2-3
As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. Psalm 42:1
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah 44:3
How will we answer his plea? Will we take a sip, then another, then another, until we are so filled up that we become an overflowing vessel of his hope and truth to all those around us? This is God's desire for you and me.
Open up the gift of his living word. No need to live with a parched soul when each one of us has been invited by our Savior to drink in his abundance.
There is a familiar expression, "You can't put God in a box." Agreed. The God of the Universe can never fit in a man-made contraption comprised of mere ideas and speculations concerning His character. If you want to know God, read His word; there, you will find Him. And there, if your heart is humbly willing, He will never stop amazing you with His unbound grace and free flowing love.
BUT, Godcan "put us in a box." Listen to His words of truth:
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is already laid, which is Jesus Christ. I Cor. 3:11
You hem me in behind and before, and You lay Your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5-6
So we, as Christians, stand on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. When we believe in Him, our footsteps become unshakebly firm because of His truths beneath us. And as we walk step by step, God Himself puts His protective hand behind, before, and over us. We are enclosed on all sides; not constrained as some might speculate, but enclosed with the marvelous mystery of who He is and what He does.
Inside these borders are His wisdom and knowledge, His compassion and kindness, His security and peace, His faithfulness and steadfast love...and these attributes of His character are unending. It doesn't matter what goes on around me, as long as I am hemmed in by His hand. When I dare to step outside of His boundry, the weight and the struggle and the pull this world hits me full in the face like a fierce wind in a winter storm. So quickly, I step back inside to find His warmth once again.
You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with shouts of deliverance. Psalm 32:7
Yes, God of the Universe, I want to thank You for grace-fully putting me in Your "box", now and forever.
Our lives can be compared to one large puzzle, with God Himself being the puzzle-worker. All the pieces are present from the beginning, and there is a beautiful masterpiece waiting to be put together by its Creator. He knows where each piece fits, and He knows exactly when to put it in its place. Every piece is different in shape and markings; some are bright and full of color, while others are drab and dreary, serving as a neccessary backdrop to the revealed glory by its side.
Do you trust your Puzzle-Working God? In other words, do you undoubtedly believe that God knows best in both the timing and the order of your days? Or, do you find yourself becoming impatient, wanting to yank the "puzzle pieces" from His hand and do life yourself? Be careful, the bible teaches that there will be consequences to this method. Think of Sarai, Abram's wife, who decided to take matters into her own hands in order to fulfill God's promise of bearing a son (Genesis 16).
Do you find joy in your Puzzle-Working God? Or are you upset with Him because your picture is not the one you would have picked for yourself? The bible speaks of this as well in the Potter/Clay analogy: You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing?" (Isaiah 29:16). I know there have been specific times in my life when I have had to beg the Lord to change my embittered clinched fists to joyful hands of praise... and He gracefully answers my repentant prayers.I encourage you to rest your impatient hands and your questioning heart in a God who is fully trustworthy and entirely faithful--even in the drab and dreary times of your life! These pieces, too, are a significant and irreplacable part of your beautiful picture. God promises hope and contentment in His word when you just can't see or understand what He is up to in your days. There is no challenge too difficult or no project too confusing for this Grand Puzzle-Worker. He longs to willingly and winsomely create your life's portrait, piece by piece, peace by peace.
Monday
Picture: Tree (the seed and roots)
Scripture: Matthew 13:1-9,18-23; Jeremiah 17:5-8
Write any phrases from the selected Bible verses that speak to you:
Take a quiet minute to focus on the underground elements of a tree: the seed, the soil, and the roots. With this in mind, consider the importance of being spiritually planted in God’s rich soil.
Where is your seed planted?
How deep are your roots?
Write a prayer using the daily verses as a reference:
Wednesday
Picture: Tree (the growth process)
Scripture: Isaiah 55:10-13; Isaiah 61:3; Psalm 92:12-15; 1 Corinthians 13:11
Write any phrases from the selected Bible verses that speak to you:
Think about a tree’s growth process, one that starts as a small sapling, but after many years, it slowly reaches its flourishing maturity. Just as a tree withstands the various seasonal weather changes year after year, our spiritual growth also endures various kinds of circumstances in each season of life.
Are you wiser today in your understanding of God and His word than you were when you first came to know the Him? In what ways?
What are some (positive or negative) circumstances in your life that have caused you to grow in your faith?
Write a prayer using the above verses as a reference:
Monday
Picture Scripture: Vessel (the Creator/Potter)
Scripture: Jeremiah 18:1-6; Psalm 119:73; Psalm 139:13-18
Write any phrases from the selected Bible verses that speak to you:
Take a minute to meditate on a potter sitting with his clay at his wheel getting ready to create a new vessel. This master potter is full of knowledge and experience. Likewise, our Creator is all knowing and good. He designs with purpose and intention. His amazing specialty is His unique touch that He joyfully places on each and every living being.
Who are three people in your life that you admire due to their uniqueness? Explain.
What are three ways in which God has uniquely formed you? Be confident and thankful.
Write a prayer using the above verses as a reference:
Tuesday
Picture: Vessel (the moldable clay)
Scripture: Genesis 1:26-28, 2:7,18-25; Isaiah 45:9-10; Romans 9:20-21
Write any phrases from the selected Bible verses that speak to you:
In your mind’s eye, see a potter easily bending his working project into the vessel of his choosing. The moldable clay submits contentedly to the potter’s hands. In our life, we can sometimes become dissatisfied with who we are or how things are going (or not going).
Are there circumstances in your life that you wish were different? Explain.
Are you discontent with how you are made…physically, mentally, or emotionally? Spend today confessing these things to the Lord and ask Him to lovingly affirm you exactly the way He designed you.
Write a prayer using the above verses as a reference:
How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. Proverbs 16:16
Dear Lord,
Help us to crave your greater things more than the world's lesser ones. Change our heart's desire from chasing the fleeting treasures of prosperity to pursuing the lasting riches of wisdom and understanding. Your word is full of bountiful blessings; may we get rich in it today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.