I Will Give You Rest

Happy New Year, everyone!
Isn't it crazy that it's 2020 already? Somehow that number sounds so futuristic. ;) I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends! We had many different celebrations around Christmas time--since both Luke's family and mine live nearby now, it makes for a jam-packed schedule of spending time at different homes around the holidays. It was a ton of fun, though, and we are so thankful to have like minded family that we can fellowship freely with and not have to worry about angry dinner conversations or difficult choices on what to refuse participation in politely. I definitely don't take that for granted, because I know so many have to face things like that around the holidays!

Baby boy Orwig is doing very well, and likes to make his presence very known these days with lots and lots and LOTS of movement!! ;) He is such a crazy active little fellow...most especially at night when this Mama is trying to get some sleep. Ha! I'm 26 weeks along, so the third trimester is coming right up. In many ways it feels like this pregnancy is going very quickly, but other times (like when I am trying to get things done and feel like a three ton walrus) it seems like a very long time till he gets here. ;P I know the time will come before we know it, though!

This post is one that I've actually been wanting to write since before Christmas, but I keep putting it off because I keep studying more about the topic, and finding new verses that I love and want to include, and well...just don't be surprised if there happens to be a Part 2 to this post at some point in the future! :)

One of the biggest things God has been working on me about lately is the idea of rest. Both physical and spiritual. Physically, rest has become absolutely vital to me over the last few months, as some small difficulties with pregnancy have made it extremely hard for me to be the go-getter that I typically am/want to be. And quite honestly, as my body grows and changes with every day that goes by, physical rest is becoming even MORE important! :) Much more vital than physical rest, however, is spiritual rest. 

To be honest, I have failed at both types of rest quite often lately. Out of frustration with current physical limitations, I push myself too hard and wind up knocked over and hurting a lot more than is necessary. In a spirit of faithlessness, I refuse to trust God and His promises to me and become fretful and worried, living in doubt and fear and stressing out for no reason.

I've never really done the whole "Word of the Year" thing before...I know many friends who have really enjoyed it, but I had just never actually chosen ONE concept to focus on throughout the year. But at the beginning of this year, I realized that God had been speaking to me about this SO much, it was almost a given: my word of the year for 2020 is "Rest". 

This has been a lot of intro, I know, but I wanted to give some background into my study and how much it means to me before I just launched in. :) Here are a few things I have written down in my study journal over the last couple months. (Alliterated because I'm Baptist and that's just what we do, haha!! ;P)

1. The Preparation for Rest
"And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning." Exodus 16:23

God Himself instituted the practice of resting (specifically on the Sabbath) when He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Later, He set up this principle for His people to follow. However, God didn't expect or require them to simply drop everything and rest with no preparation or provision for the rest period. They were to make ready in order to be purposefully still and not work. However, this did NOT mean that all tasks were perfectly complete and nothing was left undone before they rested. They made specific preparations for the Sabbath, and when the day came, they rested. Whatever was left undone could simply wait until the next day. In our goal-oriented and perfectionist society today, we sometimes have a hard time resting while there are still tasks to be done. However, there will always be something to do, something to fill our time with. The decision lies with us to let some of that go and CHOOSE to purposefully rest.

2. The Purpose of Rest
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. Exodus 23:12

God's plan for rest is that His children will be refreshed and uplifted. His thoughts toward us are of good, not evil, and His commandments to us are not grievous (burdensome or harsh). Rest is a "good and perfect gift" (James 1:17) from the hand of God, meant to bless, not harm. In 1 Chronicles 22:9 and 2 Chronicles 14:6, The Bible speaks of God giving someone rest as a gift or a blessing. When viewed correctly, rest is a valuable resource and should be treated as such.

3. The Placement of Rest
"And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee." 2 Chronicles 14:11

If you are familiar with this story, you'll know that Asa was facing terrible, overwhelming circumstances. As in, going up against a million man army with only half that many on his own side. And yet, in the midst of even that circumstance, he was able to find a place of rest in God.

You may have heard the statement made about joy that it is found in God and does not depend on surroundings or circumstances the way happiness can. Well, from God's Word, it seems to me that rest too can be found even in the middle of chaos, heartbreak, or trial...IF it is a rest based firmly upon God and His promises. It is a CHOICE, not a feeling or an emotion. True rest comes from seeking after God fervently and choosing to trust His Word. 

As I studied this out, it struck me how many things in our Christian lives are like this. Love? It's a choice and an action...though those warm feelings are sometimes there as well, they are a result of the good choices we make, not the other way around. Joy? Same thing. It's a decision we make to not allow our circumstances to dictate our attitude. It's finding our stability in God. Here's a verse that I found during this study that I thought was SO precious:

"And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about."

2 Chronicles 15:15

4. The Price of our Rest

"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious." Isaiah 11:10

The ultimate place of rest is in heaven, in the very presence of God. This rest cannot be obtained without accepting the price that Jesus Christ paid for our redemption--His own blood. Not only can we not reach heaven without Christ, but even here on this earth we will never find true rest outside of a relationship with him. The world talks a lot about finding inner peace and tranquility, and yet their version of those things are shallow and transient at best if they are not based upon The One who is the true Prince of Peace.

5. The Procurement of Rest

"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." Psalm 37:7

This point is similar to No. 3, but I couldn't figure out how to split these thoughts up exactly how I wanted, so two points it is. ;) Like many exercises of faith in our lives, the obtainment of God's rest takes commitment and a daily series of rest-producing choices. This verse in Psalm 37 speaks of waiting patiently for God (choice) and NOT fretting (yet again, a choice). I looked up the dictionary definition of "fret" and thought it was interesting:

Fret: (1) Be constantly or visibly worried or anxious. 

(2) To gradually wear away by rubbing or gnawing.

Fretting both violates a clear command of Scripture (Be careful for nothing...Phillipians 4:6), but also wears away and gnaws at my strength, joy, and hope in God.

I feel like so many times we SAY we want God's rest and peace, and yet the moment by moment choices we make contradict that desire completely. (And I'm as guilty of this as anyone.) One of the biggest things I've noticed in myself is that I hardly ever give myself a CHANCE to actually rest and be still! Every free or quiet moment is squelched by me trying to fill my time up constantly, many times with useless things like scrolling my phone for the twentieth time that day or doing some other frivolous activity instead of taking a moment to just be still. 

Sometimes all it takes to find that rest we crave is to remind ourselves of the goodness and bounty of God.  "Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." Psalm 116:7-8

Other times, rest can only come through chastisement and repentance/restoration. (As in the case of unrest being due to our own sin or disobedience). "Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance." Psalm 94:12-14

I realize this post may seem a little incoherent, but like I said, I have just kept discovering more and more things in God's Word about rest and being still, and it's been really hard to narrow it down enough for a blog post. ;) Let me wrap up with a few more verses I found that I think sum up all these ideas quite well.

"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16a

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope." Psalm 16:8-9

 "For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:" Isaiah 30:15a

This year, I want to choose to rest in The Lord, no matter the circumstance or situation that I face. How about you?

Mykaela

A Cry for Growth

Prone to wander and to stray,

Prone to slowly drift away.

Though my heart so longs to be

Nearer, Oh, my God, to Thee.

So foolish and unwise am I,

Oh, Saviour, do not pass me by!

Please guide me home

And wash me clean

Of sins that only You have seen.

And though I stumble and fail again,

Please let Your grace to me extend.

Lead me on to higher ground,

For through Your love,

I'm heaven bound.

Please help me now oh, Lord, I pray,

To walk your perfect, narrow way.

And when at last, Your face I see,

May the past hold no regrets for me.

May I give my all,

Surrender to You,

And trust that you will see me through.

I know Your love will hold me fast,

For on You all my cares I'll cast.

I love You, Lord, and though I'm weak,

In You I find the strength I seek.

I praise Your name for all You've done,

For in Your Cross my victory is won.

And when I stand before the Son,

I pray I'll hear, "My child, well done."

Merry Christmas!

I am alive and remain, you guys! ;)

I wanted my next post to be about my trip, which was amazing, but as of yet I have not had time to write that one. It will inevitably be a very long one, just so you know. :)

For now, I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas! What an incredible gift our God gave us in sending His perfect Son to be born in human flesh! I am so deeply grateful for the love He has shown me throughout this year. I can't believe 2017 is almost over?! Wow. The picture at the top of this post was taken this past week, and I really love the way it turned out. For those of you that are interested, here are the names and ages of us all. ;) 
Back row:
Miriam (Papa is holding her)--nearly 3.
My dad, Michael
Malachi--15
Micah--18
Me--21
Front:
My mom, Kami
Mercy--13
Kourage--11
Kayson--9
Kebron--7

The last three boys go by their middle names. ;)

This Christmas and New Year's season, let's not forget to take the time to meditate on the things God has done. I know things can get busy, and houses need to be cleaned, and guests are coming...but don't let that crowd out the beauty of just being still. I think one of the best things you can do this time of year is to get alone for at least a few moments, and just breathe, pray, and meditate on God's Word. I don't know about you, but my personal devotions tend to slip when there is a lot going on in my life. How wrong of me! If anything, my time with The Lord should INcrease, not DEcrease! 

When Christ was born in that tiny stable many years ago, and the shepherds came to witness the advent of their Messiah, the Bible says that Mary "kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19). May each of us take the time to ponder and be grateful for the precious gifts God has given us!

May you have a blessed holiday season and a happy New Year! Love,
Mykaela

The Day The Earth Cried Out

The middle of a sunny afternoon, and the sky suddenly darkened to a thick, menacing black. Day turned to night in a moment's time. 

Then came a low rumble, deep in the heart of the earth's foundations. It grew and built until the world seemed to be shaking itself out of orbit. 

Great cracks ripped across the ground like a garment being torn apart at the seams. The sky itself roared with a cacophony of thunderous sound. The planet cried out---its Maker had just laid down His life. 

The Creator. His breath had spoken the universe into existence. And His breath had just left His body.

The Lamb. Slain from the foundation of the world, yes. And now that prophecy had been fulfilled.

Jesus. His hands held the fate of mankind. And they were nailed to a wooden cross. His heart was so perfectly compassionate, so eternally and deeply loving. And it had just stopped beating. 

Is it any wonder that the creation itself was moved? The day His life ended, every prophecy concerning the coming Messiah was completed. The atonement for man's sin was fulfilled. God's law was satisfied, his wrath appeased. When He cried, "It is finished!", it was. Nothing was left to do for the salvation of man. Nothing. 

The day Christ faced death was the day He made sure we wouldn't have to. 

If the creation trembled on this day, imagine how it must have rejoiced three days later. For on the first day of the week, Jesus took up his life again. He has the power and authority to lay it down, and to take it up again. The day that borrowed tomb opened was the day he proved once and for all that He was the perfect Son of God, the One who holds the keys of death and hell!

The day Christ rose to life eternal was the day He granted it freely to you and me!

Will you take it?

10 years ago...

Psalm 40:2-3 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Today is a very special day for me. 10 years ago on March 14, 2007, my life changed. And I don't mean just a little thing...my entire world was overturned and put back together again. It was the day that I let go of all my stupid, selfish pride, and asked God to save my soul. And He did!!! You can read the whole story in more detail here. Today I would like to take a moment to thank The Lord for all the incredible things He has done in my life since that day. 

• He gave me an eternal home in Heaven. It is 100% assured to me that when I die, there is a place for me in His Kingdom. (1 John 5:13) What a promise! 
• He made me His child. (Gal. 4:5) Even if I lost everything and everyone that is dear to me tomorrow, I would never be alone. I have a Father in heaven that loves me more than anyone on this earth ever could!
• He has continually grown me since that day in 2007. Though I am so, so far from perfect, and I still make mistakes day after day...I can look back over the path of these 10 years and see how each and every trial and triumph has worked out for His glory in my life. I would not be who I am today without those things that He has brought me through!
• He has never forsaken me. Though there have been times that He has seemed far away due to my own sin and foolish choices, He has never left me. He is always there to pick me up when I fall, to forgive my sin, to guide me when I face tough decisions, and to chasten me when I stray from Him. 
• He has showered me with SO many material blessings. From my family to a warm house to live in, to clothes on my back, a church home, money in my bank account, and food on my table...He has blessed me much more than I could ever deserve!!!

I don't know where I would be if I hadn't made the choice to follow Christ starting 10 years ago. I frankly don't even like to think about it--life without God's saving grace would not be a life at all! My entire outlook on everything; finances, friends, relationships...everything is seen through different glasses. I am no longer a ship without an anchor. I am under the hand of the Captain who spoke the wind and seas into existence. I'm not wandering lost in the wilderness; I am safe in the fold of The Great Shepherd. I'm no longer fighting on the losing side, in bondage to sin. I joined the army of the King of Kings, who gave His own life to set me free. I have a new name, a new family, a new song of praise to Him. I am a new creature. So while today marks an anniversary, I don't ever want to stop praising my God for His love for me, any day of the year. I want to keep growing in my love and service to Him so that whether I live another 10 years or another 100 years, I can stand before The Lord and hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!"

Mykaela

Be Not Weary...

2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

"May I never grow so weary with fighting this daily battle that my sword falls from my hand. May I never become like so many around me--complacent, content to dabble in the mud at the foot of the holy mount, instead of pressing step by step to the summit. May I instead be like a strong, thriving tree, pointing others to heaven. Like the moon, brilliantly reflecting the sun of my Saviour's righteousness. May I be a warrior, valiantly struggling against the enemies of the truth. May I be a lamb, meekly accepting instruction and enduring persecution and suffering, with the knowledge that I am ever in The Good Shepherd's hands. May I live passionately, fervently, in sweet communion with my King, not caring for the opinion of others. May I live so victoriously that those around me will glorify God because of my life. May I pour out my time, my energy, my talents, my desires, my very life at the feet of Christ, allowing Him to use them as He will. May my heart never be wandering or distracted, but instead fixed solely on performing the will of The One who redeemed me. May it never be said of me or any other true follower of Jesus, that I became weary in well doing."

~~Anonymous

Just wanted to share this with you all. I pray you each have a blessed day in The Lord's house tomorrow, and a great week to come! Let's start off the week in praise to God! :) 

Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Merry Christmas!!

Matthew 1:21-23 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Here I am again, apologizing for a late post. ;) This time I had a really good excuse though...I spent Christmas Eve in the hospital. :/ Not so fun. Don't worry, it's nothing too serious, and I am on the upward road, but let's just say yesterday was a bit of a long day. :) Praise The Lord I was able to make it to church this morning, which was such a blessing and an answer to prayer!!

I just want to take this Sunday Snippet to think about the incredible truth of what happened as God became man. Over 2000 years ago, The God of the universe became a man, and came to this planet that He created. Just think about that for a minute. 

Wow.

It never ceases to blow me away how God chooses to work out His plans. If you had asked any good Jew around the time of Christ what they thought the Messiah would be, I'm sure they would have answered something along these lines: "Oh, the Messiah will be a great King! He will come with ceremony, majesty, and power. He will sweep down on our enemies, and quickly destroy them off the face of the earth. Immediately after that He will set up His kingdom and reign over us!" 

Well...was that how it happened? Not exactly. While Messiah was a great and powerful King, He didn't appear from the clouds and rush down on the earth with the sound of a trumpet. That's going to be how His second coming is! No, God chose a humble young woman, most likely younger than I am now, who was submitted to His will. Mary was not sinless, and neither was Joseph. They were both simply seeking to serve God with their lives. When Jesus was born in the Bethlehem stable, there was no pomp and circumstance. 

And whom did God choose to alert first to the coming of His Son? Some of the poorest class of society. A group of shepherds. Farm hands. Don't you think that when the Shepherds left the stable from worshipping at Christ's feet, and went to blaze abroad their story, that they probably raised some eyebrows?? I should certainly think so! My mom put it like this: These people had a choice to make. Many of them probably turned up their noses at the message that the Shepherds brought, saying, "IF the Messiah actually did come, you would most definitely not be the first to know!" It must have been difficult for those men, trying to spread the wonderful, amazing news that they had heard and seen, and having people ignore or disbelieve them! (Hmm, sounds familiar.)

Lastly, I love the way God's Word tells us so many different prophecies that were fulfilled through this one night in history. The Messiah will be born in the city of David. Check. He will be conceived in a virgin's womb. Check. He will save His people from their sins! Praise God, that one was fulfilled too!! 

This evening, as we close out the beautiful and holy day of celebration, let's not let our hearts let go of the beauty of what Christ did for us. We should celebrate the love God showed us that night, all year round!! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with memories, fun, and most of all, praise to God. I am so thankful for each of you! Merry Christmas,
Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: The Perfect Fulfillment

Isaiah 11:1-4 "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked."

I love this passage for so many reasons. It is a prophecy, written hundreds of years before the birth of the Saviour, and yet so precise and accurate in every way. I just want to lay out a few pieces of this Scripture, and compare them to how Jesus Christ was when He was on the earth.

1. "The spirit of the LORD shall rest up him..."

In Matthew 3:16-17, after Jesus was baptized by John, it says that the Spirit of God descended on him. There is a fulfilled prophecy right there. 

2. "...the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD."

All of these things fit the description of Christ perfectly! Every single person Jesus talked to, He knew exactly how He should deal with that person specifically. With the angry, spiteful Pharisees, He answered them with incredible wisdom; so much so that they usually ended up just having to shut up in shame. They didn't have answers to His knowledge of God. When He talked with the woman who struggled with the issue of blood for thirteen years, how did He treat her? He was so gentle, so loving in the way He interacted with her! 

3. "...and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth:..."

Think about the story of the woman taken in adultery. Did Jesus excuse her sin? Absolutely not. However, He didn't judge after the hearing of His ears and simply blast into her: He used that opportunity to teach an incredibly valuable lesson to the woman's accusers--that they were just as bad, just as lost if they had not been cleansed from sin. He used every circumstance in His life to further the kingdom of God.

You know what my favorite part of all is in Isaiah chapter 11 though? I didn't list it with the above passage because I wanted to put special emphasis on it. :) It's found in verse 10.

"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious."
(emphasis mine)

Whenever I see a verse that has promises concerning the Gentiles, I always perk up, because (if you didn't know), I happen to be one! ;) This verse is precious to me, because that root of Jesse, that Saviour promised to the world as an ensign, was promised to the WHOLE world! Me included! Jews and Gentiles, black and white, old and young, every person created in the image of God is welcome to seek after Him! And the best part of all? His rest is glorious. In Matthew 28, Jesus says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Yet another prophecy fulfilled, at least in part, because when Christ returns to earth again, the rest He brings will be even more glorious. Praise The Lord for His mercy to us! As we go into Thanksgiving week, let's not get so caught up in the scurry and flurry of Thanksgiving and Black Friday craziness that we forget the One who we should be thanking with all our hearts for the rest that He gives to His sheep. Let's keep our hearts focused in an attitude of praise! :) Have a blessed week with friends and family!
Mykaela