Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
I am taking a short detour from my normal reading schedule to read through the Gospel of John to prepare for a Woman's Study that Mary is teaching at church. As I was reading I came upon these verses in John Chapter 6.
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Peter knew there was no where else to go...and I so agree with Him.
At times a restlessness occurs in my soul. In and of itself this longing is not a bad thing. It is this type of longing that made me turn away from the world and to Jesus. It is this type of longing that made me recognize that the satisfaction and fulfillment I found in the Lord and His word was not to be found anywhere except in Him.
I find that this restlessness manifests itself most often during trials. My flesh wars against my Spirit and they are contrary to one another. I want one thing for myself and the Lord wants another. I am not saying Yes, Lord...I am saying No, Lord. Something you really can't do and still call Him Lord. I look outward instead of upward...I look at my circumstances and am tempted to fix whatever it might be that is causing me discomfort. I look for things that will distract me from my pain and suffering. (and there are so so many distractions in the world today) When my thinking starts to turn in this direction or I find myself substituting other activities for what is needed...time with Him...I know I am no longer walking in the Spirit.
Because of this I have learned to see this feeling as a good thing. A gift from the Lord. Yes, you read that right....I see it as a gift from the Lord. I would love it if each one of you could remember to see it that way too. As His gentle cord of love tugging at your heart and asking you to come and spend some time with Him, to wait on Him...to allow Him to "aright" your thoughts and renew your mind. We need to trust Him through our trials...go to Him in our times of trouble and not turn aside. Girls, we are in the greatest danger when we ignore this feeling and move ahead thinking we can handle the situation. Our strength lies in knowing we cannot and waiting on Him who can.
But beware as with all good things, Satan sometimes uses this feeling to distract us from the Lord. He defiles the Lord's gentle message to come by pointing us in all kinds of other directions in an attempt to satisfy that longing. See these attempts for the lie that they are. Learn to recognize the feeling girls and then go to Him. Know, like Peter, that nothing in the world is going to satisfy...we were made with a longing for our Creator...with a desire to worship Him. He, our God, has embedded this desire into our very beings. If we do not go to Him, we will go elsewhere in an attempt to satisfy it. Make no mistake all of our efforts will fail . They were meant to. There is NOTHING in the world that will have any lasting satisfaction or eternal value. God's motivation in giving us this desire is to prevent our hurt. To draw us to Him and away from the world and its dangers. The only thing that will satisfy is the Lord Himself. He is the Becoming One...He becomes whatever we need. He is our sufficiency.
So instead of looking elsewhere for help remember that this feeling is from Him. Raise your eyes to the heavens and speak to Him words of faith...thank Him for the situation you are in knowing He has it all under control and that He already knows how He is going to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think in it. Tell Him you know that He is faithful and He is good...reminding yourself of the times before when He has pulled you up when you have been down...when He has given you grace in the nick of time. Spend time with Him in His word asking Him to speak words of wisdom and comfort to your heart. Ask Him to increase your faith. Make doing this a practice in your life.
Girls...I spent two days thinking on this and then writing it and not once did I do what I just said to do. The answer was right in front of me and yet I somehow refused to do it. It is so so hard for us to give up our illusion of control. Don't be like the mule (that would be me) who has to be harnessed with a bit and bridle...allow Him to guide you with His eye and draw you gently to Him when your faith falters. One of my favorite verses in the bible is this one from the Psalms.
Psalm 34:5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.
Love
Mom
