“Born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” -1 Peter 1:23
As my sweet friend, Shelly was going through labor three days ago…I felt the Lord using her situation to teach me something…a physical metaphor to teach me a spiritual truth.
I prayed for her…and asked the ladies in the prayer vine to pray…it was a struggle to stay focused though, because my day had been a bit chaotic…and I hadn’t slept much in quite a few days…Emmy has been teething and screaming most days and nights this past week…on this day, Emma was crying pretty hard and Hannah went poo all over herself and her white carpet as my phone was ringing (she really is normally surprisingly neat, so why not white?). Really the past 2 weeks have been hard…full of busyness, lack of sleep, and hard moments. I felt the Lord tell me to find REST in Him…to learn to ABIDE.
I am finding ways to be obedient to this…although it’s been a challenge…to rest spiritually and mentally, even when I cannot physically rest. I am learning to ABIDE. As I was putting Hannah in the bath to clean up, friends texted asking to come over, which I was happy to have, but not sure I wanted them to enter into my zoo…and other texts came to send out updates for Shelly. I tried to focus on what God wanted me to do in that moment. “Give Hannah a bath,” I thought, “attend to Emma,” and what about the rest? I surrendered. He provided. A lady from the prayer vine sent out the update. I sensed God gave me those texts from friends to let me know God KNEW…he knew how chaotic my days have been…he moved hearts to write me and tell me they were thinking of me….it was all there to encourage, to support, to love. But what about my heart?
I sat down at the end of the day. “I need sleep”, I cried to Him. “You may not get it, He answered, but you must learn to rest in Me.” I felt desperate…I haven’t slept much in over a week. I pleaded, “Just give me one night’s sleep!” …He responded, “You need to remember you are BORN FROM ABOVE.”
I thought about sweet baby Zoe being born this same day into a family who loves and worships God.
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“Created in Christ Jesus.” -Ephesians 2:10
Having been born again from above, one may now be properly said to live. God has quickened him by His Spirit, and he is alive to God through Jesus Christ. He lives a life which the world knows not–a life which is “hid with Christ in God.” God is continually breathing upon the soul, as by a kind of spiritual respiration, and the soul is breathing unto God. Grace is descending into the heart, and prayer and praise are ascending into heaven. By this communion between God and himself, this fellowship with the Father, and the Son, the life of God in the soul is sustained. The child of God grows up, till he comes to the full measure of the stature of Christ. (How to Pray by John Wesley)
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Through continual communion, I can maintain this fellowship with God…I must be in continual fellowship to be BORN of God…to REMAIN in His Spirit. God breathes this spiritual LIFE into me.
Funny enough…the name Zoe…it means LIFE.
He hasn’t given me sleep quite yet, but He is RESTORING my soul.
Walking in Faith 