I have never written a post like this before but I hope it encourages your heart. I have been feeling so exhausted lately. Just completely weary. Anyone know what I am saying?
It just seems with everything we are doing we are left ragged.
But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.
“For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush, and Seba in your place. “Since you are precious in My sight. Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.
“Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west. “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” Isaiah 43:1-7 (NASB)
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Jaime, it sounds as though you weary…definitely time to step away and reevaluate. Thank you for this linkup but if it's time to lay this down for a season – we will all survive! xo
Thank you dear, friend! I believe it is time to lean into Jesus more. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get it all right instead of just leaning in and letting Him be my pure joy. I love all you that come here weekly and you are a refreshment to my week. I am glad you are here, Susan!
Good morning, Jaime! Thank you for sharing your heart! I have always loved that passage from Isaiah. It reminds me that when we are redeemed by God we become an anomaly in this world. We possess a strength, power and peace that can only be found through Christ. 'When you pass through the waters….' reminds me of another of my favorite verses from 2 Corinthians 4 – 'But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.' An anomaly, I tell you. All to the glory of God. But to be honest what strikes me most about your post this morning is the idea of resting in God. So often we fall back on our own strength, we forget to simply rest in Him. I'm looking at that closely this week as well. I pray for His sweet rest for you, my friend. Thanks for the blessings.
Oh, sweet, Carlie. Such encouragement to my ears and they always come straight from the Word of God. I love those verses you shared today. I will rest in them this week! Thank you for sharing.
When I read those words from Jesus I am reminded that I have a tendency to take on yokes that are not from Him. They are heavy and cumbersome and they rub me the wrong way. I love the words in Isaiah 58 about being a watered garden and a spring whose waters never fail. They help me to know where my life comes from.
You are so right, Michele, His yoke is light, not cumbersome, not carry great burden. He offers us rest. And that is where we can reside when the waters get deep. Thanks so much for being here, friend!
Hey Jaime,
I love the verses that you have shared today! Aren't you thankful that we can take our weary souls to Jesus!
Appreciate you and the weekly link up!
Hope you have a wonderful day today~
Melanie
Thanks for the encouragement as always, Melanie. I am so thankful that we can take our weary souls to Jesus. I am not sure where else you could rest your hope than the Living God and Author of our Lives. Thanks for stopping by, friend!
Jaime- I love this verse, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you."
Some pretty tough situations. Earthly elements that can take us down. Physically, emotionally and spiritually. The damage fire and water can do to people is amazing.
To me this means God is here for me in the worst of cases. He will lead me through the hardest of situations and I will stay strong with Him.
That's peace to my soul!
Blessings for renewal and reaffirmation of your spirit Jaime!
Julie
Julie, you always have such great encouragement. I love your comment and reaffirmation of the truth. He will lead me through the hardest or times and I will stay strong with Him. Glad you are here and sharing your heart with us today.
I really enjoy the positivity of your posts, Mrs. Wiebel. Regardless of one's religious orientation, everyone can take away something positive and uplifting that helps them get closer to God, find solace and joy, and become a better person. Thank you for consistently sharing well-thought, quality inspiration. It makes a real difference for so many.
Additionally, I enjoy participating in your blog party and would love to join your Sitting Among Friends Pinterest board if you would honor me with an invitation. Thanking you and wishing you a wonderful rest of your week. God bless.
Thanks for the encouraging words this morning, Reuven. The reason my message is uplifting and inspiring is because of Jesus. The message is the same because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is the rock and solid foundation on which I have my hope. And my greatest hope is that the readers of this page will know they, too can have this hope which only comes with believing that what Jesus did on the cross is for them. For me, although I have tried finding it in many other ways sadly, find my only solace in the sweet name of Jesus. That is my message and I am glad to know that my work of sharing God with others is of encouragement, that certainly is of encouragement to me. Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us every week.
I'm sorry to hear that you're weary, Jaime, but it happens to the best of us. I'm weary too, in fact, I broke out with shingles the other day. My worries over my son's departure must be getting to me more than I realize! And I LOVE Isaiah! There are so many meaningful and rich passages there. Thanks for sharing some of the inspiration that you're ministered by because it ministers to us as well! Thanks also for the linkup, my friend! Praying you are reenergized!
Thank you so much, Beth, I could certainly use prayer. Shingles. Oh No! You sweet lady. I am glad that I have women like you I can share in your stories and be blessed by you continuing to walk in faith through the difficulties. I will pray for you and thank you for the encouragement this morning! Glad you are here.
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you." This passage stands out to me. No matter what we go through, God is always with us and lead the way.
What comfort we can take in the Lord. I love rereading these passages. I am so glad that people are sharing the ones they find to really touch there hearts. This is such rich passage that we can all hold on tight to. Thanks so much for sharing your heart and being a part of this community!
Girlfriend, I hear 'ya and my heart is with you! I've been there many times before. You are holding onto beautiful hope, though, in those verses. This weariness is a refining fire, just as any other struggles we walk through. Maybe it teaches us to lean into Him more. To trust that if we step back to care for ourselves, the world (and the blog) will not implode!:-) But through this time, I know He is there protecting you and preparing you for the next chapter of the story He is writing.
I love these verses and you are right – there is so much one can take away! But simply the reassurance that He is there walking us through every trial that comes our way is what settles over me when I read it. No fear. Go forth.
Big hugs, my friend!!!
Lori
Jaime–I know just what you mean about weariness. It is the thrust of my own post today–and after three sick days of sneezing, I needed the encouragement to be able to breathe again. But, aren't we all feeling the weight of the warfare?
Holding fast to our constant God and Lord of the battle.
Joy!
Kathy
Thank you for the feature. It is truly nice.
Sorry that you are tired. I always say that if we have faith, hope and love (Three things that Jesus left us according to the singer Alan Jackson), then we should be restored. Just my thought.
Again, thanks and blessings to you.
"I have called you by name; you are Mine!" I love this part of the passage. I love reflecting on the fact that the God of the universe says I am his child, and he will let nothing snatch me from his hands. Sometimes I get so weary that God makes me "lie down in green pastures." He gives me no other option than to just rest, and I can hear him calling, "Be still and know that I am God." What a wonderful thing to reflect on. He will revive you in your stillness, Jaime, and you will continue on this path he has called you to.