by Amy Elaine Martinez In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3 Today’s Reading: Psalm 5 Fear often causes us to shrink back. We shrug our shoulders, bow our head, and think, “I don’t know if I can face today.” We’ve all […]
The quiet. The holy moments. These are what I treasure most in this busy season of gathering. Stepping back to remember that before Christ was born on that silent, holy night, God already put a plan in place for redemption bringing us peace, hope, love, grace, and mercy. I am awed by the gift of His Son; pausing ever so briefly to take it all in leaves me full of wonder and overwhelmed by joy.
Waking up to the strong smell of coffee pulls me out from under the covers on most days. Instead of lulling me back to sleep my caffeine addiction (yes, I freely admit it) beckons me to rise and shine. As I shuffle into the kitchen for a fresh offering sure to awaken me, the aroma meets me first. It is sweet and welcoming; oh yes, to get my day started, it’s coffee for the win.
I don’t know what gets you out of bed in the morning, but we all need something to spur us on in difficult situations. And sometimes mornings mean facing the hard things in our lives that we can’t seem to shoo away. Maybe it’s a financial crisis, an angry teenager or crying baby, perhaps it’s a relationship gone cold that stands in the way as you try to conquer the chaos of the morning.
And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) Mark 6:31 NASB
Rest comes easy when we’re tired and worn out, right? We feel like we need it or maybe we’re even entitled to it. But what about when we’re in our sweet spot and loving the limelight. Then, we’re not so ready to rest, yet this is exactly when Jesus calls us away. Why? Because he knows when we’ve poured out, we need more of him. We won’t get it in a worship song or a quick devotional. While these are good, Jesus knows we need something better.