As I lay in my cozy college bed on this rainy Friday evening, I can't help myself but to ponder this past semester's happenings. I cannot even begin to comprehend that at 10 a.m. on Monday morning I will have officially completed my first semester of my freshman year of college. The saying "time flies when you're having fun," is actually a real thing y'all! I'm very blessed and thankful for the many relationships and memories I have made these past couple of months. I have been challenged, stretched, and refined in so many areas of my life... but I'm tired.
I am going to take a moment to level-down and share my heart. I'm worn out- not just physically speaking, but emotionally and spiritually as well. After experiencing extreme lack of sleep and no motivation to get out of bed, I have truly been able to sit in the silence and examine my heart (which I recommend to everyone... it's in those moments where I hear the Lord speak the clearest). I've been able to just sit... to be still before the Lord.
[Unfortunately, that has been something that I don't make enough time for in the hustle and bustle of THE "college life."]
After spending some special time with my Abba, I am feeling not only refreshed, but also encouraged. As broken and tired as I (or others) may have felt this past year, He is still victorious, and I can still find my joy in Him. I wanted to take the time and offer up a prayer to not just my friends or college schoolmates during this stressful time of finals, but also for any one that may come across this blog post... I want to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to the true Refresher of all souls. When we come to Him with a heart of thanksgiving and praise, He responds. Our praise is something that God loves, something that warms His heart. Anytime we give God pleasure like that, our intimacy with Him increases- and that makes for a better relationship with Him.
So pray with me-
Father God,
We love you. We praise You and we thank You. You are so good and so faithful to us in every season. You are there in the desert with us and you are there in the harvest. You are steadfast in every time. We cry out to you Lord... Your hand of help and guidance is something we need. You alone sustain us and our well- being. Lord, would you invade us. Rid us of the things that keep us from feeling so far away from you. Oh God, we yearn to be drawn closer to you and your Spirit. Would you go down to the depths of our heart and refresh the driest of places. God I pray you give us a hunger and thirst for your Word. That we delight in spending time with You. God I pray that you would instill such a passion in us. I pray that this passion for You and Your Word would birth much revelation, wisdom, and encouragement. It would create an atmospheric change... That the weary would be refreshed, the broken healed, the spirit exhilarated, and the heart reminded of the original joy of our salvation. Take us deeper Lord. Liberate us of the voice in our head and speak from the silence of our hearts. Lord I pray boldly for a turn- around in the month of December. I pray beauty for ashes. Lord, take away hurt and replace it with hope. Give us a greater faith to forgive those that hurt us, to seek you for rest, and to fully rely on You alone. We love you Lord, and thank you for the transformation You are performing in our hearts and lives. You are faithful in all things, and we praise you for that. Each new day is a new testament of Your faithfulness. We are believing this as a community all in your precious, holy name.
Amen.
I hope you find encouragement with me in the fact that God never leaves us and never forsakes us. He is with us always. It says in Romans 8: 26-27 that, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God." What a sweet and powerful thing to know that the God of the Universe is behind us in prayer, for all that we do. He knows our hearts, our hurts, and our desires. He is before and behind us in all that we do. Join me in living a refreshed life in Him alone.
"Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the Heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast."
Psalms 139: 7-10
