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God’s Refreshing

For the Weary

“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the land of Judah and its towns will once again use these words ‘The lord bless you, O righteous dwelling, O sacred mountain. ’I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Jeremiah 31:23,25 (NIV)

The very next verse tells us that God had visited Jeremiah as he slept. He tells us “My sleep had been pleasant to me.” Why did Jeremiah say this?

An End to the Exile,

God tells him when, not if, He will bring the people back to Judah. God had planned on bringing His children back to the land He promised their ancestors.

Even today, we go through hardships that seem to not have an end; however, all trials and tribulations do end. Some end as we like them, others according to God’s plan.

God’s Visions for Those Returning

God tells Jeremiah that the people will remember to bless their homes and their land.

In the most recent Advent-Christmas season, I heard it said that people were telling others “Merry Christmas” more than in the past. As a believer in Christ, I appreciated hearing this item of news. Some of us never stopped using the phrase as a greeting or a farewell thought.

God’s Promise and Provision

God gives hope to Jeremiah and to us when he says, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Who among us has not been weary? Ask any new mother or any care-giving spouse what they might need. I believe any of them would say, Ä good night’s sleep,” or, “Some real rest.”

Also, who among us has not felt weak to the point of exhaustion? I know a husband who seems to go for days at a time on minimal sleep. People recovering from surgery are given certain restrictions in order for them to regain strength.

In this New Year, may we all learn to rely upon God more and may we feel the freedom to witness to those around us. May we feel His presence in our hearts and submit to His will for our lives.

Refreshing from the Lord

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that time of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19 (NIV)

Peter and John had healed a beggar at the entrance to the temple. The people came running toward the duo and the healed beggar.

Peter spoke to the crowd about their part in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He reminded them that they disowned Christ before Pilate, although he had decided to let Jesus go. He then told the crowd to: “”Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that time of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

The priests, the captain of the temple guards, and the Sadducees spoke to Peter and John. This message disturbed the officials. The two men wound up in jail.

Isn’t Peter’s message relevant to our world today? When we as Christians realize things are out of synch, not quite as they should be, in our lives, the first thing we need to do is to search within us to discover if the issue begins with our hearts.

The next step we have to take is to seek God’s forgiveness. This involves confessing any sin we find in our hearts. The passage tells us to repent. To repent simply means to turn away from something evil, to never do it again.

When we go through this process, we allow God to come into our hearts and refresh us. The pray, confess, and repent process has to be a daily practice. As time grows closer to that time chosen by God for Jesus to return to earth and set up His kingdom, let us all be more open to the need for repentance and refreshing from the Holy Spirit.

"Word from Scotland" from Sandy Shaw

"Lord God, You Have a Funny Way of Working at Times"