“Into the Enabling"

(Thanks to my dear brother and friend Randy R. for inspiration on this one).

     Physical tiredness usually signals the need for a time of rest and stillness, as in the case of no less than the Lord Jesus Christ.  "Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well" (John 4:6).

   Sometimes, however, weariness may indicate the need for movement and action.  All of us have had times when we felt tired, but duty or inclination demanded that we engage in activity.  Invigoration rather than exhaustion ensued, revealing perhaps that mental or emotional stress rather than weariness caused our prior sense of fatigue.  We needed movement rather than stillness.  The passage referenced above records the Lord's encounter with the woman at the well, a discourse that clearly invigorated Him as He shared the living waters of eternal life with a curious supplicant.  "I have meat to eat ye know not of" declared a refreshed Lord Jesus to His disciples upon their return from seeking food (John 4:32).  The meal of ministry, as it were, fed and revitalized the Redeemer just as it nourished the woman who needed His ministry of redemption.

    The more we rest in the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the more we discover His moving within us by the Holy Spirit.  Thereby we actively engage ourselves by His enabling to "work the works of God" (John 6:28).  Thus, we may act at times when we feel weary, expecting invigoration in movement.  "My strength is made perfect in weakness" declared the Lord to the Apostle Paul (II Corinthians 12:9).  Doubtless He would say the same to us as He calls us to anticipate His dynamic activity that leads to our corresponding activity of thought, word, deed, and relating in times when we find that weariness beckons us to action rather than inaction.

    Do we expect the power of God to energize our lives by His life?  We should.  "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might… My expectation is from Him" (Ephesians 6:10; Psalm 62:5).  As we anticipate such grace, we will discover a strength from Above that would be missed apart from confident expectation.  In a sense, we walk into the enabling that awaits us at the particular venue of our callings and responsibilities.  There is a time for rest in stillness.  There is also a time for rest in diligent application to the will of God, whether in obvious spiritual endeavor, or in earthly duties that are actually no less spiritual as we fulfill them by the power of God.  We need not live by meager human devices and strength.  Nor should we…

"I will go in the strength of the Lord God."

(Psalm 71:16)

"Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger."

(Proverbs 19:15).

Weekly Memory Verse

    The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

(Psalm 27:1)