There is something exciting about starting a new year. The prospect of new opportunities and endless possibilities makes most people look forward to what is to come. But what happens when what comes is not exciting?
What happens when life takes a different turn than you could have ever expected? A lot of times, we’re left disappointed, stressed, and drained. We spend so much of our energy and time on trying to change our circumstances, or making our plans come to life, that we end up even more disappointed, stressed, and drained.
It doesn’t have to be this way! A life with God is a life of refreshment. He offers a type of refreshment that doesn’t just last a day, or lasts as long as everything is good in your life. God’s refreshment is a long-term type of refreshment. When you are refreshed by God, you can face whatever obstacle comes your way because you won’t tire yourself out trying to figure out every solution to every problem. That’s God’s job, and He does it well.
A Key to Refreshment
In Proverbs 3:5-10, we are given one of the keys to being refreshed by God: trust. “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong. Then you will find the healing refreshment your body and spirit long for. Glorify God with all your wealth, honoring him with your very best, with every increase that comes to you. Then every dimension of your life will overflow with blessings from an uncontainable source of inner joy!” (TPT)
Being refreshed by God is having access to an uncontainable source, meaning the source is never tapped out. It’s not like one day you’ll wake up and find that God has run out of refreshment to give you. Instead, you’ll find that for every day, for every situation, for every trial, and for every blessing, God is ready to help you and refresh you.
Dive In!
Of course, this all requires trusting in God completely. Trusting anyone completely takes time, doesn’t it? Trust is earned as you get to know a person, as you see their character, who they really are. It’s the same way with God.
Have you ever been hurt by someone who claimed to know God? Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you or hated you? Have you ever felt like the difficult trials in your life must mean God doesn’t care? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then I pray you will take a chance on God this year!
I invite you to dive in! Get to know Him. Spend time learning about Him, about His character, who He really is, and not just who you think He is. As you dive in, you’ll find yourself going deeper in your relationship with Him.
Complete Trust
If you’ve never really had a relationship with God, I invite you to call on His name. God sent His son Jesus to give you a life beyond just existing. He wants to be involved in your life as you trust Him completely with your life. Have you called on the name of Jesus? It’s less about a religious tradition, and more about you believing in Him as your personal savior and friend.
If you do know God personally, what areas of your life are you keeping from Him? What areas of your life are off-limits to His wisdom, direction, and planning? These areas may reveal pockets of distrust in your heart, and God wants your complete trust. Would you take a step of faith today and put your trust in Him completely?
God loves you with an everlasting love. He wants you to experience what being refreshed by Him is like. One of the keys to the type of refreshment that lasts through the changing seasons is trusting in God completely.
He is trustworthy not because I may think He is, rather because He has shown Himself to be. Time and time again, I have found myself facing trials of many kinds, but He never left me to walk those trials alone. He was with me, every step of the way, providing, intervening, healing, and refreshing.
We don’t know what is in store for us in 2019, but we do know that if we daily choose to trust in God completely, we will never be drained, and we will always be refreshed.