08/07/2022
I am leaving on a trip for a couple of weeks, a kind of sabbatical if you will, and during that time away, I will pray for refreshment, and a renewed filling of the Holy Spirit. I will not only relax bodily, but will seek God’s peace, and call for His Spirit to fill me anew with insight, and inspiration in His Word. When the Holy Spirit comes over us we are filled with incredible power, and in that state of divine expanse, and closeness with Jesus, our Heavenly Father will bless us with a newness of spirit. Do we desire to experience this?
“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Acts 4:31 ESV
Separating ourselves from the everyday routine of life can open us up to a renewed outlook on the world, and give us a fresh perspective, new quiet places where we can sit in the presence of the Lord, and room for Him to lead us in introspection. I pray for this, and that the Lord will use this opportunity, when I am unfettered from my routine, to draw me closer, and speak to me regarding His expanded desire for me. We all need such times, even if it is a weekend away from who we are, and what we typically do. We need to do new things, see new things, quiet our spirits, and pray in a new and unencumbered voice… unshackled from the man or woman we have grown so accustomed to, and comfortable, being. Jesus needed that separation too, and it brought new perspective and power in its wake…
“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.”
Luke 6:12-13, 17-19 ESV
Quiet times of refreshment, and the removal of ourselves from the everyday spiritual distractions that we once thought to be uplifting, and the place or way that God had called us to walk, but which might now be holding us back from the next larger step in our spiritual journey. Are we courageous enough to open ourselves up, and possibly enter a new, and as yet unopened, door? Are we prepared to do be led, and to lead others to new heights, as the Spirit calls us, and as the case might be?
“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 ESV
So I will begin a journey, and will go somewhere fresh, where I will be lifted up on the wings of eagles, sail lakes I’ve never known, climb mountains to gain fresh perspectives, walk among people that are new to me, and hear God’s voice echoing through the valleys of His creation. My prayer is that upon my return I will bring new power, and a refreshed spirit with me.
Tomorrow morning I will leave you with daily devotional messages that I wrote in 2019, and ask that you pray for my wife and me as we travel with old friends to new places.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son Jesus who has taught us to seek you on the mountains, in the wildernesses, and on our knees in the quiet places that we find in our lives. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that you have breathed upon us, and who gives us renewed strength, fresh inspiration, and a deeper insight into your Word. Be with us in our everyday lives Father, but met us in the new places where we separate ourselves to sit with you, and hear your voice clearly. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who calls us to distant places, and speaks to us like children once again. Praised be your name for calling us away from our routine existence to a place where we can experience you in wonder, and see you through eyes from which the scales have fallen away. Merciful are you who lifts us up, and holds us tight to your breast, where you give us new energy, Faith, and an invigorated life. Your grace flows over us as you Holy Spirit whispers a new song, a new poem, and a new understanding into our ears. You refresh us Father by showing us one more mountain to climb, and meeting us lovingly at its summit. Wash us clean of our sin with the blood of your Son Jesus, and transform us as we pick up our crosses, and follow Him to places we have never been to speak the gospel, and hear your voice more clearly. Judge us Lord to be worthy as Jesus is worthy, and seat us at your table forevermore. Feed us new foods, speak to us in unknown languages, and show us new customs as we abide in your amazing house. Teach us to open our eyes, and to see the New Jerusalem as you see it.
Rich Forbes