I opened the well-worn devotional and strove to garner strength for the day. The reflection was on the necessity of spending time in God’s presence, of relishing the beauty of His holiness, and soaking in His grace.
But it was the last sentence that penetrated my heart:
“He walks in glory on the hills and longs for men [and women] to join Him there.” *
How to Garner Strength
Over and over these words crossed my heart leaving imprints that could not be ignored … He walks in glory on the hills and longs for me to join Him there …
He LONGS for me to join Him there.
Can you hear His call? I can. I’ve heard it loud and clear many times — a call to climb the mountain of God and sit with Him awhile.
Bask in His glory. Rest in His love. Garner strength.
But many times, I would not.
How many times do I hear the sweet whisper of the Lord deep in my heart and I shush Him. Or ignore Him. Or try to placate Him with, “in a minute. I need to finish this first.”
Seriously?
And yet He longs for me — and you — to join Him on the mountaintop where He can pour His visions and dreams into our lives, where He can transform us into His image, where He can teach us His ways.
My fingers rubbed the edges of the devotional’s pages. I couldn’t bear the thought of how many times I had hurt Him with my complacency.
God Desires that We Garner Strength From Him
I closed my Bible, grabbed my sneakers, and took off for my daily walk, desperate to steady my heart.
The day shone glorious with late winter sunshine. Skies of periwinkle blue sprinkled with cloud puffs kept me looking up. Searching. Thinking. Hoping I would hear the call of God.
In the distance, layers of mountaintops and valleys formed the horizon. A blanket of clouds hung heavy over the blue majesty of the hills — a hint of rose-colored light penetrating from the soon setting sun.
He walks in glory on the hills and longs for us to join Him there …
I imagined the brilliance of His glory behind the veil of rose-colored clouds. I knew He was with me. I knew He was beckoning me to be still and share my heart with Him — to put aside my self-sufficiency and over-thinking, and trust Him.
Plain and simple.
But how could I fully put my trust in Him if my mind was racing around and my spirit kept ignoring His call?
I couldn’t.
Faith Comes by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of the Lord
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of the Lord. If I can’t be still long enough — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — to rest in His Presence and listen to His Word for me … well … trust was only a lovely thought somewhere over the rainbow.
I stopped right there on the side of the pasture across from the white clapboard church and knelt. I knelt before the One I worship and adore, the One I love and the One who carries me near to His heart. I felt desperate to garner strength that I might trust Him more in my difficult places.
I asked His forgiveness for my complacency and asked Him to restore a right spirit within me. Do you know what He did?
He lifted me up, raised my chin to fix my eyes on His heavenly places and flooded my troubled soul with His peace and assurance.
What the Lord has done for me, He will do for you.
He longs for us to join Him there on the mountaintop.
Selah
* Springs in the Valley by L.B. Cowman
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Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
God Bless you NaN!!!! We gather strength from God and He gives us each other to draw strength from!!! Have a Blessed Day!!! Prayers!!! Love Teresa Boyce
Oh yes, Teresa! I’m so glad you stopped by and I’m so thankful you are in my life. The Body of Christ is so precious to me, especially my sister-friends. Love you much!
I think for me many times it is a tired wandering. A meandering in my spirit. Maybe a restlessness of sorts. I read the devotionals, I read the pages in my Bible but it just doesn’t penetrate and then I pray and I find myself drifting off or just not really paying attention to who I’m talking to. And yet, He still bids me come. I do wonder if He gets tired of my wilderness wanderings that could be ended if I just focused more on Him though. If I really put my heart into seeking Him and working on a more deeply, intimate relationship with Him. 🙂
My precious sister, I think we all struggle with this at times. Remember the strategies of the enemy: he DISTRACTS, discourages, divides, and deceives. Distraction is the beast we are wrestling, but it’s also the beast we have authority over. We both just need to find our want-tos. Amen?