Faith and Refreshment

For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. Jeremiah 31:25 NKJV

There is no substitute for the refreshing of our soul. God delights in refreshing us as we spend time in His presence. Let all weariness go, let the refreshment flow. Darryl Rodman. Heart Treasure Life is busy, no doubt about it. There are so many things on my to do list I forget to think about things I want to do! Fortunately, most of my to do list brings me blessing.

However, I’ve discovered refreshment is not automatic. We have to position ourselves to receive His refreshment. The first thing we need to do is acknowledge our need for that refreshment. I have heard that by the time we feel thirsty in the natural; we are already dehydrated! Creating a daily habit of seeking the Lord and waiting on him, sets us up to receive his refreshment. So coming to him before total exhaustion and weariness takes place is the wisest thing to do. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you. (ESV) This is like an ounce of prevention! Psalm 94:19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. (ESV) But this takes time. It really does. But it is so worth it. Draw aside with him. Mark 6:31 Jesus instructs the disciples: “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” (NLT)

When the cares of my soul overwhelm me and I finally recognize I am burdened and weighed down, it takes time to offload them to the Lord. Some times they feel like they are bungeed corded to my soul–they come right back! Taking the time to sort them out before the Lord is always worth the time it takes, and I always leave feeling lighter and stronger. It is humbling to admit we need to be strengthened or refreshed, but remember the scripture in Isaiah 40:29-31. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (NLT) We all need his refreshment.

Hope refreshes. When we cast our cares upon him and we begin to understand we are not alone on our journey. Hope comes in. If we don’t have a solution, he does! It may take sometime to discover it, or for him to reveal it, but there is a solution. My friends, do not let hopelessness take away your joy or peace. It is a trick of the enemy to steal from you. I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:12 (NLT)

Jesus offered us the invitation to “come”. Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. Matthew 11:28-30 If we just stay long enough to dump our heavy load, but don’t take the time to be taught of him, we will miss so much. Do not be afraid of his yoke. Jesus graciously is asking permission to teach us how to find rest for our souls. What a privilege to have access to such a teacher! Take advantage my dear friends of his wonderful offer. Take the time to learn from him and be refreshed.

There is another way refreshment comes that is mentioned in scripture. The generous will prosper, those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25 (NLT) Yes, taking the time to be a blessing to others sets us up for refreshment. If we get our minds off ourselves and our situations, looking to help another, we will be blessed. Try it!

Father, we come. We come to you today and ask that you refresh our souls. Teach us to walk with you. We choose to take your yoke upon us and exchange our heavy burden for your light one. Father, thank you for refreshing our souls today as we wait upon you.