Resting with God for Renewed Strength and Nerve

“…Christ’s strength shall bear your spirit up, and nerve your heart, and brace your arm.”

​ RESTING WITH GOD

Lord, some days we genuinely need to have our hearts nerved and our arms braced.

Some days it seems as though what we are carrying weighs a couple of tons. There are days, Lord when we need to stop on the road for a while, take a deep breath, and wait. We wait for Your sweet, sometimes subtle, yet always reliable strength to bear our spirits up. Today may be one of those days.

Some of us have come through wonderful times of milestone celebrations. We’re grateful for them because they remind us of Your gifts of grace and goodness, faith and faithfulness, connection and commitment. Yet because we are frail creatures of dust, even celebrations can wear us out, causing rough edges in our relationships. Schedules still place demands on us, tasks must be done, and deadlines must be met.

Lord, will you sit with us by the side of the road right now? Help us to breathe deeply of Your love, waiting for Your strength to fill us for what comes next.

For some of us, Lord, celebration has had to be pushed aside to make way for more urgent concerns: failing health, failing bank accounts, and failing relationships. We truly need a roadside rest, a space to wait – for our hearts to be nerved, our arms to be braced, and our spirits to be borne up by Your strength.

LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYERS

While we’re sitting here on the side of the roadway of life, it seems important to offer You some words of apology and contrition. Not one of us can get through a single day, even a single hour, without revealing the shadows of sin and brokenness that mar Your image in us.

Even amidst our deepest struggles, dear Lord, we must also admit that there are moments here and there when we know that You’re with us, at work in us, reaching through us to others in need or simply filling us with deeply joyful gratitude, because we’re alive, because we’re loved, because we are. For those moments, we want to say, “Thank You so much.”

Finally, Lord, we boldly ask that You prepare our hearts to meet You today, maybe in some surprising places. May we read Your Word and listen for Your love song somewhere today. May we taste and see that You, O LORD are good, especially in life’s small and simple gifts.

Lord, may we meet this day with arms braced, hearts nerved, and spirits borne up by Your strength, refreshed from our stopping and waiting on the sidelines for a few minutes. May we continue our day with contagious joy, generous grace, and overflowing thanksgiving, all alive and well within us.  For His sake, we pray, amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

• Can you “sit by the roadside” with God today and ask Him for strength and renewal? Our printable Stewardship of Courage may help as you wait for the Lord.
• Are you anxious? Does peace elude you? Our printable Promise of Abundant Peace offers scriptures on peace to aid you as you spend time with the Lord.
• As you pray, ask God about your grace gifts and how you can share them. Our printable What are Your Grace Gifts may give you some ideas.