Times of Refreshment

This morning was the first morning that when going for my walk, I put on a light jacket! It is finally feeling a little more like fall around here. The cooler mornings and evenings are so refreshing after a long, hot summer!

Refreshment is something we all need. Whether we have been immersed in a season of busyness, or just in the mundane daily details of living, a weekend or even a day away provides a much-needed change of scenery, rest, and refreshment. When we have been working outside in the yard or out running errands on a hot summer day, that tall cold glass of iced tea or bottle of water sure hits the spot. I am reminded this week that just as we all need physical refreshment, we need spiritual refreshing, sometimes even more than physical.

I continue to be amazed, even though I shouldn't be, how God always anticipates and provides for our every need. This week an evangelist friend of ours and his wife are in our area, and we have been so privileged to sit under his preaching in services all week long. We were excited to learn they were coming because we knew that we needed the spiritual refreshment. But we needed it even more than we knew we did. The messages from the Word have hit home every single service. The work that God did in our hearts, confirming once again His faithfulness to us, and fellowship time with our friends has been like balm to our souls.

As I reflected on these things being so refreshing to us when we needed it so much, my thoughts went to a verse of Scripture. Acts 3:19b says "that the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." This time of waiting on the Lord for His will and provision in our lives is becoming a sweet time of refreshment and renewing, because true refreshment only comes from the presence of the Lord. We are learning, among other things, that it is more about the journey then it is about the destination.

There is another verse which relates to refreshment and renewal that I have come to understand in a whole new way. Isaiah 40:31 tells us, "They who 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." I have known this verse for decades, yet I have gained a whole new insight into what renewal means. During this season of waiting that God has placed us in, we have to first of all truly wait upon the Lord. That means not pushing. It means being willing to yield ourselves to God's leading and timing for what He has for us, and being content with where He has us right now, while waiting for Him to reveal His plan to us. According to this verse, that is how we truly are renewed, or refreshed.

You might not have an opportunity to attend a week of revival services, retreat, or other special event. I know many times I have wished I could! That doesn't mean that you can't receive refreshment. Make the effort to spend quality time with the Lord. Really study your Bible, not just skim through it. Journal your thoughts and insights. Let God and His Word bring refreshment to your soul!

Thoughtfully,
Kathi