SCRIPTURE: Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV
THOUGHT: Maybe every now and then it’s okay to share an entire lyric, rather than just a snippet? Today is that day. I’m dipping back to 2020 now, after the world was changed in ways that still linger.
It’s so easy to fret as we watch the news and the world, and feel the changes that have been wrought. Sometimes I have to turn off the news and, instead of watching the whole world, look at just my little corner. Listen to the birds. Watch the squirrels. Call a friend. Take a little drive through the beautiful mountains that surround us. Walk through a Hobby Lobby. Dream about what to plant in the garden this year. Take a cup of coffee and my Bible out on the deck.
As the world has gotten crazier, I’ve become even more aware of the amazing truth that God wants time with us. We can choose to give our energy to The Crazy, or we can choose to sit down at the feet of someone wiser and more compassionate and loving than even our best friend. Time that will reward us with a larger view, a slower pace, a filling rather than a draining. We can know God. Does that truth ever leave you awestruck?
I pray that you’ll find times like these to participate with God in shalom, the Hebrew word that describes far more than peace – it describes the sense of wholeness and well-being that we so desperately need and can only find in sacred space with him.
SONG: Stay Awhile
Stay awhile with me the world will wait
Make time for my heart and I will speak
I’ll tell you things you don’t know now
Transform your anxious thoughts somehow, so
Stay awhile with meTalk awhile with me before you fly
You’re always in a rush but I have time
Hurry can’t deliver you
But I can find a way right through, if
You talk awhile with meWait for me. Wait for me. Wait on my words of life.
Stay with me. Stay with me. Stay with me awhile.Breathe deep the air where it is pure
Exchange your doubt and fear for what is sure
The Spirit is alive and well
The gates of hell cannot prevail, so
Breathe deep the airHold onto your faith, nothing is lost
Hold onto me though it is dark
I’m working out what you can’t see
Trust my heart and lean on me, and
Hold onto your faithWait for me. Wait for me. Wait on my words of life.
Amy L. Clemens, Stay Awhile (Sabbath Song), 11.15.20
Stay with me. Stay with me. Stay with me awhile.
PRAYER: Oh God, help me not just talk about you, but spend the time to really treasure knowing you. Thank you for your own desire to stay awhile with me and transform my doubt and worry and hurry into shalom.
Dear Reader,
I’m glad you’re along and I pray you will be blessed, challenged, and encouraged in your faith by something you read here.
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ABOUT ME:
Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
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