by Mike Genung
Last weekend, I was feeling the effects of a long grind the past few months (more on that in a moment). My mind was on overdrive, my heart was crusty, and I needed rest. I was worn out.
Last Sunday morning before anyone was up I went to the Lord for extended time in His presence. The first half hour it was a struggle to unwind my mind and calm down. I turned on praise music, and started worshipping… after 15 minutes of focusing on God in praise, my heart softened, tears flowed, and the grace of His Presence warmed the room.
Deep peace settled into the recesses of my heart; the kind of peace that only comes from a touch from the Lord. Rest followed; all the effects of being overclocked vanished. Once again I was amazed at God’s healing touch, the incredible peace He gives, and the wonder of His love.
I’ve been blessed to encounter God like this many times. It’s not because there’s anything special about me, but because God promises if we seek Him with all our heart we’ll find Him (Jeremiah 29:13) and if we draw near to Him He’ll draw near to us (James 4:8). He’s taught me that when I go after Him and leave everything else behind that He will keep His promise to meet me.
I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only one who’s been worn out and beat up lately. The pace of our lives is insane. This time of the year, Christian ministries, charities, and churches crank ministry into overdrive. It’s not that these are bad things; most are good. Sometimes we can spend so much time on what is good that we lose sight of what is best.
I believe the Lord wants our hearts, first. He doesn’t need us to run around saying yes to every ministry opportunity that comes our way – especially this time of the year. I believe He loves it when His people come to Him, with their only agenda to enjoy Him and know Him.
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42
For the weary and hurting, the deep peace of God is a balm to the soul. You probably won’t find peace like this at church, at least, not to the depth I’m talking about. In silence our spirit best tunes into the Holy Spirit; we’re least distracted, we hear His voice more clearly, and we’re more sensitive to His gentle touch. I don’t want you to think I’m in any way saying we shouldn’t go to church; I love the Christmas Eve services at our church. It’s just that sometimes we can get more caught up with the performance, performing, or the teaching at church. In solitude everything is stripped away; it’s just God and His beloved child.
Which is a fantastic place to be. If you yearn for a taste of Heaven, a touch of your Father’s love, or His deep peace, sit at His feet, listen, and rest, as Mary did.
I’ll leave you with a song from Rich Mullins. The link below is to a video. Don’t worry about watching it; it’s just one screen shot. Close your eyes, listen to the words, and soak in God’s message to you.
Here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOKdVpznlMA
God’s peace to you, my friends.