Full Stop

"I'm just tired," I said to my pastor. I had been sick with a nasty cold and was burning the ministry candle on both ends - interim pastor and writing assignments. He advised, "You need to take care of yourself," and went on to say, "It's more important to be ready for Sunday in the pulpit than for Friday at a meeting."

Full Stop!

Thank you, dear friend! I needed to hear that.

I imagine that many of you reading this devotional need to hear it as well. As Christians, we want to be doing the work of our Lord. We want to be in our Father's house, about our Father's business. We need to remember that even Jesus grew weary. He often sought rest and re-creation in desolate places. He didn't always get it when he first tried, but he knew it was important. He even once told his disciples, in essence, "We need to get away and get some rest" (Mark 6.31).

Through the prophet Zephaniah, God counseled his people, "Let not your hands grow weak." There are admittedly times when we allow that very thing to happen. We need to make a full stop and listen for the voice of the Lord, as Elijah did on Mt. Horeb. There, he heard "a still small voice." God quieted Elijah by his love.

If you're worn out, make a full stop, and hear the word of the Lord: "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."