Ah, summer vacation, time on the lake, and Fall festivals are around the corner. If you haven’t been to the beach or your favorite vacation site yet, you might think it is time to reset! Your priorities have come first; while you view your friend’s adventure photos on Facebook, you wonder when it’s your turn.
Newsflash – not everybody vacations each year. Not every reset needs to be an expensive getaway. We can reorganize priorities and make time for awareness.
“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” Jer. 31:25
Right now, my soul is weary – tired, exhausted, fatigued. I wake up grateful, but I don’t feel refreshed. Day in and day out, keeping up with responsibilities can weigh us down, but we are still thankful that the Lord has given us another day. He promises to satisfy the weary soul. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel; we need that time to meet with Him and be refreshed.
For the languishing soul – ailing, failing, sinking, it goes beyond fatigue and needing fulfillment. For the languishing soul, the Lord promises to replenish – restock, refill, reload. That means cleaning out the mess and refilling with His goodness.
Hardships in one’s life can be mentally and physically. Both feed each other. When we are mentally stressed or weakened, we tend to get physically weak, and vice versa. There may be a need to remove something, whether the need is healing or changing course. The answer for the languishing soul and the weary soul is JESUS.
You may think, “But I HAVE Jesus,” but does He have YOU? ALL of you. Are you ALL IN? Or do you think there is just too much going on right now, and you will be more committed after you get through this and that? Oh, please don’t get me wrong, dear one, I am not trying to be one of Job’s friends to accuse every person who is having a trying time of bringing it on themselves – no, but what I am saying is that through the hardships, it is easy to lose our zeal, and focus on the problems while we are down.
I had had times in my youth when I had pushed the Lord away and knew I had brought on my troubles, but once I was ALL IN, the Lord changed how I saw things. I no longer struggled to get to the place where I could commit more ‘after I fixed everything first’ – I was already in that place, and I never looked back. I committed ALL my life to the Lord because I always made such a mess of things trying to do them myself that I finally reached a time when I trusted Him fully. I learned to rely on HIM and not myself. That was a significant reset! I came to know PEACE.
But what about now? What if we are fully committed and find ourselves weary or languished?
It is good to get away from everyday life and take a break, but when we can’t, we must look at what we CAN do. We can push the reset button for our spirit. Even our daily Bible reading can become part of our rut, and we may need to change things up.
I like to dive into a new devotion plan along with my daily Bible time or read a book that feeds my spirit and is full of encouragement. I want to evaluate my ‘everyday’ and ask what needs a change. What can I do for refreshment for my spirit?
For me – everything begins with God’s Word. I don’t mean just picking up the Bible and choosing a place to read but searching the scriptures – it’s okay to use Google! Sometimes I will key in the search box with “Scripture about rest” or “Scripture about refreshing.” Or whatever else I may need to hear from the Lord or to read a specific promise.
The Lord has promised so many good things to us, and when we read those promises that have to do with what we are experiencing, we can affirm them in our hearts, and it makes the day easier just knowing what God has said.
For the languishing soul, God has promised to replenish! For the weary soul, He has promised to satisfy! How can we read His words and stay downtrodden?
I hope you get time away to reset, but if you haven’t, I hope you will turn to God’s Word and find what He has for your spirit to reset! Drink the life-giving water for your thirsty soul. And friend, don’t be afraid to ASK! Ask God for replenishing! Ask God for what you need. He won’t hold back when our hearts are ready to receive. He knows when we have fully surrendered. He knows what we need even before we ask.
Languishing soul, seek His Word and let Him clean out the things you’ve held onto as your identity or comfort. Let Him remove what doesn’t belong, and don’t be afraid of how He will change your life. His will IS His best! Fall into His arms and trust.
Weary soul, seek His Word and feel His breath. Take in something new He wants you to know or to work on, and take the time and the courage to step out in new directions.
READY? ReSET! GO!
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