Isaiah 40:11 says “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.”
The Lord has been gentle with me these days, where I only find brief moments to meet with Him — the long drinks of daily morning study are a bit hindered by present circumstances, and tiredness keeps me from seeking Him long in the evenings.
But I have made a fresh discovery. It is as Jesus said: “Lo, I am with you always.”
And in these moments, as I try to remember if I’ve rinsed the shampoo from my hair or as I grab a pinch of salt to stir into a banana bread loaf-to-be, I find Him and thank Him, mentioning in the moment something great or small I want to bring to His throne. Surrendering future plans. Thanking Him for present joys. Even letting go of things past that have long needed letting go of.
Even with just a moment.
I watch a newborn tummy rise and fall, one breath after another, and I pause standing over the tiny sleeper to thank the Creator of the Universe who is enabling each one of those breaths to be. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord.
Perhaps you find yourself in a season of hurry. Perhaps your heart or your circumstances are a hindrance to long walks or long talks, deep reading or quiet prayers.
Know that each moment is an opportunity.
Though I cannot stand long at the vat of grace just now, still it seems that with these short draughts of thankfulness, my cup overflows.
xCC
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You know, that is the Bible verse I have on my Skype profile.
Today we are sitting in the hospital with Caleb, as he recovers from having his tonsils and adenoids removed, and an airway scope. Our family is busy as it is, but it seems we often have extra “busyness” in the form of hospital visits, therapys, etc. And I have to remember that one thing God doesn’t want me to do is beat myself up about not doing Bible study for at least 30 minutes this morning. I used to think that maybe he would have wanted me to get up at 4:30am instead of 5:30am, to squeeze that quiet time in before making our way to the hospital. And maybe that would have been a great plan, had I not already been up until midnight the night before. But, I’ve realized that we aren’t at that season in life right now. God has not given me a life that lends itself well to perfectly executing a schedule. Fortunately Jesus didn’t say that if you read your Bible at 6am one day and 3pm another, you fail. Right now I’m going to do my job as best as possible and rely on that grace you’re talking about.
I think it was your Skype profile that brought the verse to mind for me, right when I needed it, AB! I am glad you are encouraged — we high-performance gals sure need reminding about that Amazing Grace, don’t we? 🙂