
Renewal in the Presence of God
This life and week are billowing up like piles of snow against a glass window. As a child, I’d watch my hot cocoa-warmed breath film the window and would trace my name on the glass, manipulating the ice to my advantage without ever actually touching it. I would stand inside and gauge the intensity of the storm by determining how high the snow piled against the sliding door glass. From where I was, comforted and cozy, the storm couldn’t touch me.
Today, I feel like that glass door has been smashed open and the wet cold has come cascading in. The year has been full of disappointment and pain but the overwhelming feel has been confusion. Why has God allowed this? How could He be turning the hurt around me into goodness?
In 1st Kings 19, Elijah wishes he had never been born. He calls out to the Lord to lament being given life. The Lord has proven himself, and yet, Elijah cries This passage has always intrigued me.
During my husband’s first deployment, I struggled. And God answered through a friend. I didn’t know her well. She was in a different stage of life and had children. From the outside, it looked like an odd friendship but thankfully, she followed the Spirit’s prompt and reached out.
We met at an old coffee farm where she bought me a delicious pound of local coffee and treated me to breakfast. We opened our Bibles to 1 Kings 19, and she reminded me of what God did when Elijah was broken. He fed him. He let him sleep. He sent him out rested and renewed.
Because that’s what God does when we are at the end of ourselves, He fills us and restores our hearts.
God fed him, let him sleep, then fed him again.
Our God is gentle and merciful. When life is overwhelming, He is big enough to handle the depth of our lament and emotions. We can cry out to Him and trust His heart.
When life doesn’t make sense, we can sit and wait at His feet, trusting in His goodness even when we don’t see it. For now, we don’t have to move forward, we can simply sit and renew our hearts as He reminds us of His mercies.
Lent is a time for this. I cried last week and read words that seem truer every spring when we begin that 40 day march to Calvary. Each year, this season seems to bring more emptiness than the year before.
But the season does not end with the emptiness, it ends with the cross. Where every morsel of sin was placed onto the body of the Spotless Lamb and the veil was torn.
He who became flesh and dwelt among us has released the Spirit to dwell within us.
As we march down the trail to Calvary, sometimes we must stop and sit. We fail.
The plans I have for Lent are already crushed. I restart, and fall short. The fast is broken, prayers are forgotten, and the poor are neglected. The future I saw for myself, for my friends, it is often pulled from fingers, eagerly grasping. Like Elijah, I cry and I sit with friends who cry.
My heart cries out and pleads for an answer. I don’t always get the answer I’m looking for. More often than not, I am left wondering. But in lieu of an answer, I am given something greater. I am given the presence of the Lord, strengthening my heart and reminding me day by day that my body, my heart, can go on because His body was broken and His blood was poured out for me.
The Comments
Dawn
This is so good. A great reminder to sit and wait. Be patient and know that things will happen in His time, not ours.
Bailey
DawnThank you, Dawn. This passage is a wonderful reminder that God is always at work behind the scenes.
Kay
I feel for you Bailey and what you’re going through. I praise God He’s given you words. Your words are consoling others with their beauty and truth, and I hope you find consolation in the writing of them too.
Bailey
KayThank you, Kay. I really appreciate your encouragement.
Amy
It’s tough during the waiting periods but God always follows through with His promises. Remember, it’s only a season and He will never leave you.
I pray that the Lord heals your heart and celebrate the risen King 🙂
Bailey
AmyAmy, Thank you for the reminder. It is a season, but it certainly feels like a long one. I keep remembering the He is here, in the midst of the darkness, shining through.
Lisa
Beatifully said. Even though God rested on the seventh day, I’ve never attributed my rest to His powerful way of working in me. We all need it. Thank you for sharing.
Bailey
LisaRest is a commandment. It is so important for our hearts. I hope that you feel that encouragement this week.
Karina
Thank you for sharing. We all go through moments when we feel like we rather give up, but that is exactly when we should depend on God for his guidance and direction. Life gets so tough at times, but there IS a God who loves us and cares for us… and we should always remember that as we try to understand things that we may never understand. There is so much I love about what you shared – your post reminded me of how merciful and tender God is towards us when we need Him most.
Bailey
KarinaKarina, your words encouraged me so much. Our God is indeed merciful and tender. He is our Good Shepherd, leading us kindly.
Stephanie
What a great reminder. Thank you for sharing your heart.
Bailey
StephanieThank you for reading, Stephanie. <3
candy
My husband was gone for a total of 8 years we figured up after he retired from the military. Wasn’t easy and I cried myself to sleep many a nights. Thank goodness for my knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father who was there each and every moment. I am a stronger woman for living life.
Bailey
candyIt’s a battle. Every. Single. Day. Thank you for living the example of a faithful military marriage, Candy.
Katie Braswell
“I am given the presence of the Lord, strengthening my heart and reminding me day by day that my body, my heart, can go on because His body was broken and His blood was poured out for me.” Wow! This speaks to me. I’m in a similar season. Not situational, but mindset. Thank you for reminding me to read through Elijah’s story again!
Bailey
Katie BraswellIsn’t it wonderful how He meets us and gives us what we need?