There is the most beautiful invitation that every day of this new year holds.
When we awake to mercy that is new every morning and we can scarcely see through our sleepiness and preoccupation with the day before us, we have the opportunity to bring our blindness and our weakness and our cold hearts in need of warming before the Lord.
Whether from your bed or your bathroom or in the kitchen as you wait on that cup of coffee to brew, you simply come, lowly and humbly and needy, saying, “Lord Jesus, I need You. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.”
If you will set aside your tasks, your busyness and your distractions, if even for a few precious moments, you will be invited to wait upon the Lord.
You wait quietly. You sit still. You may feel excruciatingly unproductive. It may take all that is in you to remain still and doing seemingly nothing. That is okay- you are here to be still and to know that He is God. That means that you are doing your part in coming in with all your weakness and sitting as still as you can manage- and the Spirit of Jesus does the rest. Praise His Holy Name!
You have come confessing your need for help. You have waited. And you will receive, friend!
The Spirit of God comes to reveal Jesus to you! He does! He does! That is a promise!
“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you..” James 4:8
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
You have offered up perhaps the only things of worth you have to offer to this King of kings: your weakness and your time. Isn't this a marvelous and wonderful Savior? If you will daily give yourself, He will daily give Himself to you.
Your ordinary residence becomes the Holy of Holies; He really does come. Oh, He does come.
You can lose yourself. You can forget yourself and all of the things that just a moment ago seemed so important. The Holy Spirit has fixed your eyes on Jesus. Your eyes cannot leave the cross. Your eyes cannot move from the Lamb who was slain. Your mind can only think, “Worthy! Holy!” And you can only worship the only One worthy of your worship.
You are dying. And it is glorious. It is glorious. The Lord is the One who does it. This holy One who you have walked right past time after time has called you near and drawn you in. And you have listened. You have responded. Even when you dreaded it. Even when lesser loves also beckoned to you, competing for your affection. Even when the cross and the gospel has offended your flesh. Yes, even then. Perhaps especially then.
This daily death is the Lord's loving kindness. In this dying, you look like Jesus. In this dying, you are truly transformed into the image of Christ. You are marked with His name, submerged in His aroma and given His mind. Oh, how we need these set apart ones.
It is only once we have died that we can truly live. Oh, sister, do not forsake this daily dying. Do not forsake the cross. Do not forsake the call of the One who will never leave or forsake you. The One who was slain. The One who spilled His blood for you. The One who came so that you would have life and life abundant.
He is the Life. He is your Life.
Holy Spirit, we begin this new year by simply asking for Your help. Oh, Holy Spirit, help us! Help us! Help us. Oh, we need You. Help us to die to our selves so that we can live. Precious Holy Spirit, give us Jesus. Lord, give us Jesus. We need Jesus.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
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