A Hurting Word...
Drama runs in our family--both of our sons can be mad, sad, glad, bad--whatever, but always with great drama! And unfortunately, I must confess--they get it from their dad--uh,....OK....their MOM! For when I'm full of life and energy, the world knows it--and when I'm "dead," and lifeless, the world knows it too--my late-night e-mails to friends usually carries the phrase, "I'm DEAD!"
Now, of course, friends remind me that I'm NOT dead - I'm just weary, worn-out, and need some rest. A getaway time. A quiet time. That's a priceless commodity in our home, when you have two dizzy boys and a busy website--but somehow, someway, it has to be done, or Mom is not a happy camper. And, as it has been said, "If Mama's not happy, ain't nobody happy!"
Ever been "dead" spiritually? You know--the dragged-out, down 'n out, depressed feeling that life with the Lord is lifeless. You need rest. A getaway time. A quiet time. Reminds me of the pastors and leaders who gathered in Springfield this week for "Sacred Assembly." None of them "looked" dead, but I'm sure the rigors and riots of the ministry had many of them worn down and weary in well-doing. It happens to all of us--and pastors are no exception.
As I watched, listened, joined in prayer with these wonderful leaders this week, we all felt the refreshing presence of the Lord. A revival. A renewal. An awakening of "dead tired bones," quickened by the Holy Spirit. An inner, deep working of the Holy Spirit; a loving call to new holiness, new commitment, and new life.
And that's Christ's call to us all today. He WANTS us--dead OR alive. If we are "dead" tired and bone-weary, He will love and refresh us; if we are "alive and kicking," He will love and re-focus us. The Lord Himself waits at the Well to renew us--dead or alive--to His eternal life and purpose!
A Helping Word...or Two!
Revive in me a Seeking Heart!...Lord, sometimes I'm dead in Christ--literally! I lack desire; I lack delight--I drag along in a dull, tired, worn-out Christian existence. Awake thou that sleepest--create within me, oh Lord, a longing for a renewed intimacy with You--time in Your Word, time in Your Presence, time in Your love. And THEN I shall live--to praise Your Name!
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13)."
Revive in me a Sensitive Spirit!...Lord, sometimes I'm dead in my spirit--insensitive to the cry of others. Too preoccupied with my own death, I have no listening ear to their hurts--I'm anesthesized to their problems, weary of their constant need. Awake thou that sleepest--renew within me, oh Lord, a spiritual sensitivity that comes only from your Holy Spirit. A quiet awareness of another's need. An intuitive recognition of another's heartache. And THEN I shall live--and we both will praise Your Name!
"...God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10 KJV)."
Revive in Me a Serving Soul! Lord, sometimes my soul is dead--lifeless to the call of your Spirit. The call to serve, to go, to reach out to a dying world. I can't minister life to dying souls, because my own soul is dead. Awake thou that sleepest--renew within me, oh Lord, the joy of Your call upon my life--to serve you wholly, without reservation--spirit, soul and body. A life given in absolute surrender to a living God who desires to breathe life and vitality into my soul, and the souls of those around me. Consume me, constrain me with Your love until its force vibrates within me--and I MUST serve. I MUST go. And THEN a world shall live--and bow before Your Name!
"And whatever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:24 KJV)."
HE wants you--dead or alive! Now I'm sure He prefers you alive, but He will take you just the way you are. Human. Susceptible to the ups and downs of living. And so He lovingly calls you aside to revive and renew what has been worn down, run down, and cast down. He IS the Resurrection and the Life--let Him revive your heart, spirit, and soul, that you might LIVE to praise His Name!
And that's just a living word--or two--from His heart to yours!
His Healing Word
"I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live (John 11:25)."
"Lord, I'm dead tired--and I need life--Your Life. Quicken my heart, my spirit, and my soul, that I might praise Your Name. Let Your Holy Spirit renew within me the joy and vitality of my life in You. Restore me to life, that I may live it fully, not in my own strength, but in You, the Giver and Source of all life. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
