Refreshment for the Soul
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
~ Psalm 37:1-4 (ESV)
Some mornings I grumble to the Lord these words:
“Lord, I am tired. I really don’t want to get ready this morning. Every day is the same. People grumble. They are always angry at someone…”
The list is actually longer than that, but I rather stop here. I tell you, some days are worse than others. The other day I was so frustrated that I, with my Bible under my arm, left my cubicle huffing and puffing about all the injustice around me. I sat down at a table and was leafing through my well worn Bible (thankfully I keep a spare copy in my desk) to find comfort in His Word.
My finger stopped at Psalm 37. I started to smile; this particular Psalm must be a comfort to my soul every time I get a little frazzled. Words like “Thank You” – “Praise Your Name” are written on the side – not only once. The entire Psalm is highlighted – I guess I wanted to make sure that I never forget to return to this particular Psalm…
After I read His comforting Word, I was ready to return to my desk to finish out my day. His Word has this affect on me. It calms my spirit – refreshes me to carry on.
Do you think that is why Jesus often withdrew from His friends, the crowds? I believe that Jesus just needed to have some time with the Father to get refreshed – so He could carry on.
My dear sisters, no matter if you are a work-at-home Mom, a office employee or even an executive. When the day gets to you, grab your Bible and take a “time-out”. Get refreshed at the spot – don’t wait until night time when you think that you might have some ‘spare’ time.
Lord of Heaven and Earth. Thank you for Word. Thank you for the prompting of Your spirit to get refresh at the spot. You know the desires of my heart – the desire to be close to You any time of day. Lord continue to help me to stay close to You Word and get refreshed when I am in need. In the precious name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen”
Blessings on your day…
Amen! I have been reading Psalm 37 several times throughout the past week & I suppose I need it again to start off this week! Thanks for sharing.
Blessings in Christ–
P.S. enter me
Hello Iris,
I can just see you at the office. I can see you running to the Lord. I bet there are many there that notice and it is making a difference in the world.
I love this…Do you think that is why Jesus often withdrew from His friends, the crowds? I believe that Jesus just needed to have some time with the Father to get refreshed – so He could carry on….. AMEN… All the more why we also need a retreat to the word and talking with Christ. Loved your post. Thank you.
Iris,
Great reminder! I too have to grab my “sword.” The weapon of choice when I am weary.
Glad the Lord refreshed you in your time of need.
God bless you sweetie.
That totally spoke to me Iris! What it’s saying is that when we spend time with the Lord he “delights” our hearts, makes us happy, gives us joyful thoughts etc.
What an encouraging post. Thank you
Iris…
Here’s what resonated with me…the part where you said,
“I guess I wanted to make sure that I never forget to return to this particular Psalm…”
Here’s the deal with me. I’m in the Word, mark it all up, feel better when I leave, and then I sometimes (actually quite a bit) forget the promise of the Word when a fretful situation appears. I default to my normal, which is fretting and worry.
I want the seed of God’s Word to sow deeply into my heart, so that its truth becomes my default rather than falling prey to my fretting.
It’s a deeper walk of faith, but one I am committed to making, so I would appreciate your prayers for the process. Be blessed this week, and thank you so much for giving me this reminder to “not forget!”
peace~elaine
what a wonderful reminder. totally taking this thought with me to work tomorrow morning. something tells me i’m going to need it.
Bless you my Sister. I have been withdrawing at work and could not figure out why. It must be because I am getting so frustrated with the attitudes of my coworkers. I feel like I am walking around in a haze and can get a glimpse of reality but can’t make it out clearly. With all God has placed in my life recently I am to retreat and with draw so I can be refreshed and rejuvinated by the Lord. How wonderful it is to have a God that loves us enough to speak to us by way of strangers so that we might see a little clearer. May you be Blessed this week as much as I have been Blessed by your devotion.
Iris, you have pegged me. With all of those precious words…I am hit. Bulls eye. Frustrating things at work…beginning 2 weeks ago…seem to be like a volcano at times…Captial V….and I want to QUIT. But the Lord says wait. Wait on Him…He will be my courage…when I have to drag my rear end out of bed…He is my strength.
So until He gives the go-ahead…I persevere. Sometimes with a willing heart…and just to be plain old honest…sometimes it is with a “drag me along heart”.
But then, that’s just me sometimes. When I get like that….I GRAB my CUP—the one that is overflowing with blessings and has a special message when it get’s hot….the message I am supposed to be “sharing when issues are hot”….and I remember how much the Lord loves me. Enough to send me YOU!
You ROCK!!! (((HUGS)))
Oh Iris, this post is just what I need right this moment.
So true, many times we get so busy that we forget the one thing that gives us energy to keep going…that is HIM. Thanks for the reminder.