Finding Rest in Jesus

 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1 Kings 19:5‭-‬9 NLT

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 MSG.

This past Sunday was the first fellowship time together since lockdown started for us as a church and what a blessing it was to meet and worship together, and to fellowship together.  The message was on rest as a tool in difficult times. The text was around Elijah on how he went from a victorious encounter with God on the mountain and challenging the priests of Baal and seeing a long drought broken through prayer. Next scene he is running for his life due to a threat on his life, and he finds himself under a tree and how God ministers to him in that place. The text drew my memory back to a story I have shared on this blog previously on my encounter on the Journey Intensive Week. The Road to Freedom. I have to confess that I identity with Elijah, it was a powerful time with God my Father and yet how quickly we forget what God has done or told us. We find we can easily be distracted by things or circumstances. I was reminded in the Matthew 11 scripture to come away with God, to recover my life and to learn the unforced rhythms of Grace. It's in these times where I find true rest in God. When he shows me things about Himself and Myself and his purposes for my life. I  recalled the following:

I am amazed, and often bemused in the manner God speaks to me. It is often in the form of a question, found in one of the prophetic books or to a prophet, such as

What are you doing here?

What do you see?

Do you think these bones can come to life again?

Whom shall I send?

Then it's an instruction or command, more often than not by a form of action and not words only

Go write a letter of repentance to family or boss.

Go wash feet or go sit under that tree, read the word, pray and let me minister to you.

Take off your shoes, your on Holy ground.

Go speak to those strangers camping across from you.

Take off your shoes and walk barefoot before me for a week.

 Go speak a blessing of that household or family.

Replace the bad bits with good ones, bless and don't curse, think of pure, holy and noble things.

I just love the way he is direct, plain and down to earth and real with me. However it takes me to intentionally engage with him, to go with him, to keep company with him, otherwise my rest in him fails, and I can be distracted by my own agenda, habits and thought pattern again. This is rest or peace, surrender to God. When I spend time with HIM I learn new rhythms and to in love obey, to live free and lightly. 

Don't look for the voice of God in the thunder, fire or big things, listen to the small still voice and hear him speak to you, he wants to.

This is so amazing the picture attached are from my memories from a year ago almost to the day, when I felt prompted to go sit under a tree in the bush and was led to read from 1 Kings 19, and how my testimony for my Journey towards healing was birthed and continues as I speak. Help me Lord, teach me your ways.



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