Hey everyone! It’s good to be back. I was looking forward to taking a few days off blog writing to dive a little deeper into the Word and into prayer. Bummer I got sick on Monday…but having to be still had its advantages. My time off writing did not look like I had planned it to look, but I’ll tell you all about that in my next post. 🙂 I hope you all got to dive a little deeper yourselves.
The word for the week for me was definitely Come to Me! Everywhere I turned, that scripture was in front of me. It’s what I ended my last post on (Dive Deep)…it popped up in conversations I had. I was able to catch a dear friend ministering via Livestream this week, and what was she teaching on? Come to Me! It’s what I studied and mediated on all week, and here are some of the verses I looked at:
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 (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29)
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”(John 7:37-38)
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” (Psalm 27:8)
And these are not all the scriptures that He says Come! There are so many more…Come to Me, and get some rest. Come to Me, and be refreshed. Come to Me, and drink. Come to Me, and talk with Me. Come to Me, and…
But don’t you know, Toni, that He is always with me? How can I “Come to Him” when He’s already there? That’s such a great question…I thought you’d never ask. After the initial coming to Him we do in salvation, there is still a “come to Me” we need to do…
Have you ever been somewhere and not really been there? Like sitting in church, and the Pastor is preaching…but really you are looking at facebook or making your grocery list? I know, right? Ouch!
I was on an overseas call one time to my employers when they lived in Italy – we didn’t talk on the phone much, so it was an important conversation. And what do I do? I zone out of the conversation and just start thinking about something else. I was there talking with them, but I wasn’t really there. Know what I mean?
When we Come to Him…we are conscious of Him. We are aware of Him. If there is something worrying us or a situation that’s draining us, it’s because we are more focused – more aware – of that situation than anything else.
He’s saying Come to Me…Focus on Me…be more aware of Me than you are your problem, and you will find rest and refreshing and strength and stability and direction.
So our challenge today is this: Don’t neglect the secret place….and not just a quick once-a-day visit. Let’s get accustomed to living there – continuously aware of Him. Let’s Come to Him, and when we do, we’ll find everything we need right there.
He who DWELLS in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! (Psalm 91:1-2)