The first week in 2022 I went to a silent retreat to unplug from the busy and reconnect with God.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you-even Jesus” Acts 3:19
This silent retreat meant I could not talk, be on social media or even text for 36 hours. Many of you know because I wasn’t answering your messages. I loved and longed for the quiet. I live a very full life (thank you Jesus) and the last 4 months have been bananas and if I’m being honest, I let excess and busy overcrowd my life leaving me little time for intimacy with Jesus.
Lack of intimacy left me feeling spiritually dehydrated and longing for the refreshment that comes from God’s presence. The first thing I did in my alone time was hit the floor. In tears I confessed my sin for putting everything else above God. You know he calls that an idol, right? Even the blessings of our lives if not given a boundary can take over leaving us frustrated and depleted.
This happens to every one of us in our humanity and God loves us enough to pull us back into alignment with him. It’s his kindness that leads us to repentance -posturing our hearts back on him and before him. And then…. HE COMES in like a flood REFRESHING our empty souls with all the spiritual hydration we need!!
That exactly what happened to me, and I truly feel refreshed and rested for 2022.
We heard a powerful word from Priscilla Shirer in her study called Breathe. She spoke about making room for God and in the last month that’s what I’ve been doing. Making room in my closet, my cabinets, my finances, my schedule, my ministry, family, and my work. Each area of our life must have margin, or we will burn and crash.
As you step into the new year, I encourage you to seek God and his plans for your life. I urge you to put him First trusting that he will provide your every need.
Lastly, I remind you of the verse in Proverbs 3:5-8 “Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your OWN UNDERSTANDING. ACKNOWLEDGE him in ALL you do, and he will direct your paths” I pray that in 2022 you learn to trust God in deeper ways, I declare that you would be intentional in intimacy with Christ. I pray that he would teach you how to LEAN on HIS UNDERSTANDING. Not yours. I pray that God will bless you, keep you and make his face shine on you” Numbers 6:24