~Ami Schmidtke
“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (Lamentations 3:25-26)
When a trailing plant doesn’t get enough light – take this fuchsia, for example – oftentimes it will start to grow upward or sideways rather than draping nicely over the edges of its pot. The resulting growth can appear a little chaotic as it attempts to find the light it needs.
Now, this analogy will only go so far; clearly, I need to find a better spot for my plant (and our God is a more faithful gardener than I could ever be). However, the image of this plant straining every which way – looking for something it cannot obtain on its own – seemed to be an apt depiction of how it can look (and feel) when I find myself striving rather than resting in the Lord.
When I find myself in undesirable circumstances or when a situation outside of my control is causing discomfort, I have a tendency to try to “fix” things in the natural. As believers though, we don’t operate solely in the realm that we can see; we have to keep in mind that our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), and sometimes our Father will allow us to experience difficult situations to test us and grow our character.
As I sat with the Lord this morning, He drew my attention to the familiar passage in Matthew 11 where Jesus declares:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (v. 29-30).
The first call here is simply to come. Rest is not something we have to produce or find on our own; it is a gift from the Master when we answer His call, set our burdens at His feet, and follow Him. We take up Christ’s yoke – joining ourselves to Him – and instead of what previously weighed us down, we carry His burden and His heart for the people around us as we seek first the Kingdom.
Master, it can be challenging to be obedient through a season of difficulty; please, make us a people who are able to wait well, with expectation, and find our rest in You.