There are some days where I find myself bone weary on the  journey and no matter how many vitamins I take, steps I count, hours I sleep, or bottles of water I consume… I am just tired.  And when that happens, I know that the only remedy is to bask completely in the Word of God.  It is here in this sacred place where the Word that was made flesh is revealed in the red letter promises that lead us to live out the resurrected hope that Easter’s celebration reminds us of.  My daughter reminded me that we ought to celebrate every day with the same hope that Easter ignites within us.  ‘If we did, it would make all the difference,’ she said…’because we wouldn’t forget.’

Out of the mouth of babes, I guess.  Because as I was scrubbing a flaky day old pan of pasta sauce, watching the rain out of the window I reflected upon her words and confessed that some days just don’t feel jubilant and powerful.  And sometimes it is easy to forget when a heart is weary and a soul is parched.  Though my hands were plunged into warm suds and water was streaming forgotten in the divided silver steel basin full of two days worth of dishes… I was thirsty for a morsel of truth to soak my whole self right into.

And I have been more than busy lately  than I like to be, as we all probably are. And even though every day has been spent with His Word, it can sometimes be brief, because the weary places need  a continual soaking like a slowly spilling water hose on a gentle summer day. And even though my journal has carefully counted moments and added names to be lifted, my mind has wandered and my body has gone through the motions but easily settled on the drying worries that keep knocking the door of my memory. And while I have been laying those burdens at the foot of the  Savior, what I needed to do more was to trade burdens with Him instead.

Sometimes, as we fill our calendar with dates and names and events we miss the gentle wonder of the slow spilling of His Word over our weary hearts. When we rush through our devotions and we skimp out of our quiet time, by checking out before we even check in, it is hard to focus close on the promises that are held there. And I wonder if we are failing to catch the power of the resurrection every day when we miss the awe and wonder of what they hold for us… rest.

Because His grace should always feel like a moment of rest in our busy day. It should always be where we start and end and meet in between. And rest always leads us to find grace, expect hope, and know peace.

Grace.

Hope.

Peace.

When we are weary, the comforts grace, hope and peace feel somewhat limited…counting #gracemoments can feel slow.   And the truth is that we need to spend more than moments with the One who conquered the grave so that we can be victorious in death and in life.  Weariness doesn’t mean  our faith is lacking, but often we find ourselves worn from the battle.  Thankfully, greater is He who is in us ( John 4:4) and we have been given authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19) as we choose His Way rather than our own.

I settled on the question from my girl and I was reminded that the way to battle weariness is to remember what His Word says about our situation.  I was reminded of some strong and bold words that my favorite prophet wrote about this God of comfort who loves us so. And slowly, but surely, I found hope knock on the door of my heart.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of  the earth does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.  He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength.[causing it to multiply and making it abound] Even youth shall faint and be weary, and young men shall stumble an fall.  But those who wait upon the LORD [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [closer to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faith or become tired. – Isaiah 40:28-31

Are you weary friend?

Have you been traveling a path that has left you tired, longing to be filled?

Because we have an everlasting Father who meets us right where we are and reminds us how He restores, renews, relieves, refreshes and recreates the power of a rested soul even in the midst of our busy and chaotic lives.

His Word is more than a comfort to our souls, it is the liberal love of God poured over our weary hearts.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls]. Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and  you will find rest for your soul. – Matthew 11:28-29 

Sometimes there are things right in front of us. Circumstances we don’t understand and issues that we don’t know how to get around.

Sometimes there are difficulties or inconveniences that make no sense and seem hopeless in our lives.

Sometimes there are moments that we don’t understand, seconds of chaos that seem to be out of place and unfamiliar to the plans we have made.

But God… is faithful.He has never wavered in who He is and there may just be opportunities that we can only experience because we have to travel through the valley to get to the mountain top.  Because He is faithful, we can trust that He is working good things for those that love Him and are called according to His  purpose. (1 Thes 5:24, Heb 13:8, Rom 8:28)

Yet, though our path may not change directly before us…in an instant, our view can.  We can do as the Psalmist says, and lift our eyes to the hills from where our help comes, a place where we find grace, expect hope, and know peace as we exchange our weary robes for the blessing of his meek and humble spirit.

I was convicted today to spend some time focusing on His Word, specifically looking up scriptures that spoke deep into the wearied and worn heart… collecting them as sacred tokens of grace, counting #gracemoments as I go.  As I settled into the power of His Word, my heart was buoyed in the ocean of grace I found myself swimming in and I was reminded, once again, that His Word is always an eternal truth that will meet any situation I face in this life.

Each scripture was a seed of hope that I planted in my heart reminding me of all the precious promises that His Word holds out boldly for us to find.  As I wrote them down, the rest that Matthew 11 tells us began to settle in the quiet of my soul and I was able to feel the refreshment and the relief only time spent with God and His Word can bring.

So I have a challenge for you:

What if we took the  next 30 days to settle into the hope of God’s Word?What if we spent just 5 minutes reading, writing or memorizing one verse (or a few) each day that will not only lift our heart, filling us with the strength of his joy and the power of his presence, but increase our faith so that we can pour into others who are weary on their journey?

During the month of May, I’ll be taking this challenge with the Table of Grace FB Community.

 

Click on the picture above or this link for a pdf version of the Thirty Days of Hope for the Weary Heart  Scripture challenge.

I am praying for each and every weary heart to be refreshed by finding His grace again, relieved by the power of expectant hope again, and recreated by knowing the peace of a blessed and quiet soul in the presence of the Father today.


IT’S YOUR TURN TO BE A GRACE COUNTER!  SHARE YOUR GRACE MOMENT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW AND THEN COUNT GRACE WITH A FRIEND WITH COMMENT ON A BLOG OR TWO.

If you are a blogger, link up here with  a post about finding grace moments in your life or one of your favorite inspiring and encouraging posts from this week. Share your thoughts in the comment section telling me about the #Grace Moments you experienced this week. *(only 1 post per link please)*

Take time to visit your neighbor next to you, and if you want visit a few more friends on the journey. We all need a little encouragement and affirmation as we travel together.

If you don’t have a blog, you can connect with me via my Journeys in Grace FB page by sharing a photo or a comment.  Or you can join the party by sharing your images on Instagram with #Gracemoments hashtag.

Each week I will  try visit as many of your amazing  posts as I can.This is a safe place to sit and dwell in grace together, friends. I can’t wait to pour a cup of friendship with you and take in the grace moments you have to share. Don’t forget to leave a comment below, I love to hear from you.

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