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Respite For the Weary
RELATED VERSE: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
Dear Children,Imagine with me for a few minutes...you’re outside in our back yard, and it’s extremely hot. You can feel the oven-like summer sun pressing all around you—making it difficult to breathe. However, this does not stop any of you from playing a super game of kickball all afternoon with the neighbors. Time goes on and on, and you’ve been running fast, playing hard, and yelling loud—lots of F-U-N! When the game is finally done, everyone comes directly inside, all bee-lining for the same thing, a drink of ice-cold water. As you each gulp this refreshing drink, all I hear as I watch nearby, is a resounding chorus of “AHHH”s. Fresh, cool water tastes so good, all the way down— quenching your thirst completely.Now, imagine something else... you are absolutely famished. It seems as if lunch was hours and hours and hours ago, and somehow you missed your snack. Dinner seems forever away, and the dull pain inside your hollow stomach grows larger (and louder) each minute you are made to wait---UGH! So...you begin to moan and groan with your stomach. “I’m hungry!” “How much longer?” “Is it ready yet?” ...Finally, the table is set, the blessing is said, and you dig your teeth into a hot, buttered homemade roll (remember, you’re imagining!) Again, words cannot express the satisfaction; only a long-awaited “MMMMM” comes from within.Children, doesn’t it feel so good when your thirst is quenched and when your hunger is satisfied? Don’t you enjoy being refreshed and renewed? Well, did you know you have a soul that thirsts and hungers in a very similar way in which your body does? And, do you know how you can satisfy your soul’s longing? The Word of life, which God has so graciously given to us, straight from His divine inspiration, can be as completely filling to your soul as that ice-cold glass of water or that hot buttered roll is to your body. I pray you will have a continual longing for His Word. The Living Water is never dull or lukewarm; it’s always pure and always refreshing. And I pray you will have a repeated craving for what His Word has to offer (the menu is never drab or tasteless; it’s always diverse, always savoring).Remember, children, there is no need to walk around days-on-end with a dehydrated heart and an empty, hungry soul! You know where to go. Feast on His Holy Word, dear ones. When you do, you undoubtedly will “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8)
I love you
1. The next time your children are extremely thirsty, provide ice-cold water for their parched throats. While they aredrinking and experiencing refreshment, explain to them how the Living Water, Jesus Christ, through His Word, does thisvery thing to our soul.2. Repeat this experience when your children are very hungry by providing something delicious and fulfilling to theirempty stomachs.3. Discuss and compare the physical needs of our body to the spiritual needs of our soul. “Physical” food and drinkbring needed refreshment, growth, and regained energy. The Living Water and the Bread of Life found in the Wordbring us the needed satisfaction of peace, hope, and joy.
Dear Heavenly Father,You are so peacefully present in the quietness of the morning. Thank You from all my heart that You desire to meet with me. How much You teach me through Your Word! You listen to the burdens of my humbled, contrite, and broken heart; and then, You faithfully fill me with your mercy, Your love, and Your refreshing Spirit. Oh thank You, dear Jesus, for taking the time to meet my every need.Please, dear Lord, I ask that my children would be quiet, with a submissive spirit before You, their Savior. May this time with You be top priority in their days. May they discover the beauty of Your love for them as they hear the kindness of Your voice through the reading and meditating of Your Word.O God, You say Your Word is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword (Heb. 4:12). I ask that You pierce their hearts with this “sword,” so they may discover the beautiful richness of the amazing love You have for each of them. May they hunger for You as a beggar searching for a bite of bread to eat, and thirst for You as a deer pants for a sip of water to drink. And as they are earnestly seeking You, fill them up, I pray, hiding Your Word in their hearts. For You are the only Bread of Life and the only Living Water that can satisfy the deepest longings of our soul. May they desire to continually go to Your banqueting table, which is always bountifully overflowing with the richness of who You are! And thank You, dear Jesus, for Your plate offered to us is always full, and the water from Your well provided for us never runs dry! Oh, the depth and the height of Your gracious love that can be found all throughout Your holy Word! May they grasp the “handle” of abundance and drink it up.
I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. Philippians 4:10
Dear Lord,
If we see a need and we have the ability to fill this need, help us to seize the moment and give generously. Use us mightily in this way so that your kingdom can progress. Open our hands and our hearts to supply funds to those who are spreading your good news around the world. Amen.