Rest and Restoration

I have been preparing to lead a retreat at the end of this month. I am so excited and God has been leading me in some amazing directions! As a result, I find myself fascinated by the story of the woman with the issue of blood. I am just drawn in by her story. I can only imagine how tired she must have been after bleeding for 12 years! She had no money - she spent it all on doctors with no success. She must have felt defeated and depressed. And yet, she was still able to muster up hope - hope that this man named Jesus could heal her.

One of the most moving parts of this story to me is something that is not explicitly addressed in the story here. But I still wonder what she must have been feeling as she reached out her hand. Did she hesitate to touch His robe? I remember a family vacation about 10 years ago where Daddy took us swimming with the dolphins. I was in the ocean with all of these dolphins just swimming around. They were beautiful! I was enthralled and exhilirated! They were swimming so close. I reached out my hand to touch one....but as soon as it came in towards me, I quickly withdrew my hand. Something about actually touching this creature was overwhelming. I wonder if this woman felt something of the same? Was she overwhelmed by His presence and hesitant to touch such majesty? Did she have any doubt in her mind that she was making the right choice? Was she crying? How were the people standing around her feeling? Did she notice their response to her presence?

I don't know the answers to all of these questions, but I do know that this weary, broken woman reached toward the robe of the King of Kings intentionally. She didn't accidentally show up where Jesus was. She didn't accidentally reach toward Him. She acted in a way that demonstrated her faith! I wonder how she felt after being acknowledged by Jesus. Was she exhilirated to be restored? Was she relieved to be free of her illness? I want to know just how well she was able to sleep that night and the nights ahead. Wow! What restful slumber she must have expreienced after this intentional encounter with the Lord.

I ask you to consider the following verse from Matthew 11:28. "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Come. That's all He asks. Make the intentional choice to come to Him. And receive rest from the Great Shepherd. We can rest knowing that our God never slumbers or sleeps (Ps. 121:4). We can rest in Him with full confidence that our intentional search for rest is found complete in Him! Hallelujah! (God's got me shouting at myself!Glory!)

Rest in the shadow of His wings sweet friends!
Psalm 91

(I would love to hear your stories of rest and restoration this week. I would also love to know who is reading. It's been so long. I like knowing which of my friends are letting me share my stories with them.)