Ready to Soar

There's a strange anticipation in the air as I write this evening. It's been years since I blogged my everyday, slightly more random thoughts, but there's so much swirling around in my mind and heart this evening that I couldn't resist!

Our Abba has been teaching me to rest. I must say, it's a welcomed lesson. I was so stubborn about resting during the last school year. My time was so valuable to me that I far underestimated the value of downtime. Granted, my poor choices created what I now call my "zombie year," and I now eagerly embrace an abundance of sleep and "do-nothing" days. Yes, they must be kept in moderation, but sometimes, an hour of sleep can be far more productive than two hours of labor.

Resting runs far deeper than going to bed at a reasonable hour. I'm learning that resting can sometimes be the most spiritually enriching thing one can do. In Joshua 1:9, Joshua reminds the Israelites, "'The LORD your God gives you rest and will give you this land" as he was leading them into the Promised Land. Moses had instructed the earlier generation of Israelites, "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" in Exodus 14:14 as they were fleeing from the Egyptians into the Red Sea. One would think that at such crucial times as these, the last thing they would want to do is be still. But God's ways are higher than ours. In Hebrew, the root word for "still" is "aman," meaning "to support, confirm, be faithful, be carried, trust, believe." It's not that we become idle when we're resting, but that we step aside so that the Mighty Warrior will step forth. Being still is knowing that He is God and believing that He will do as He promised, even in the midst of the battle. True faith is being still believing that Your Sovereign One will carry you to the other side, despite of circumstances saying that you must take a leap. He will never instruct you to fight without also giving you solace, and He will never instruct you to leap without catching you on the other side. He is the God who:
"gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint." -Isaiah 40:39-41

I'm ready to soar.