Restore My Soul, Part II

Let's see... I last left you with the parenting session and pounding hearts...haha

The third session was by April Torres on Psalm 23:5.

You prepare a table before me 

in the presence of my enemies.  

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup overflows.

April spoke on the refreshing the Lord provides us with.  He restores, rehabilitates, recoups, renovates and refreshes us. We are not just sheep to the Lord, but we are His daughters and His guests. The Lord provides the exact amount of luxury we need and sometimes that means that He restrains His hand so as to not overwhelm us. God intends to feed us even if we are surrounded and under attack.

And this next part leads up to confession number two, so pay close attention.

The Holy Spirit is our anointing now and He is the ultimate answer to our dryness. God refreshes us by filling our cups to overflowing. There is a true story of a shepherd traveling through the desert who happened upon an oasis. The family that lived there provided this shepherd with food and drink, they gave him rest and a way to refresh. The shepherd was so overcome with gratitude and he told the family that a simple thank you was not enough to express his thanksgiving. The patriarch told the shepherd, "We have a saying for this: my cup overflows."

In John 4, Jesus was hungry and tired after dealing with divisions, healing and teaching. He sat wearily at the well. His disciples returned and questioned why He wasn't taking time for himself and He said to them, "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." He challenged the disciples thinking that they deserved a break. We don't deserve a break. We need to wake up and the time to work is now.

Her closing words were that when we repent we experience those times of refreshing.

And the Lord spoke to my heart that I had been living with an expectation that I "deserved" a break. That I could take it easy. That I was doing enough. How dare I think that I have earned a break from working the plow. How dare I ask for the Lord to help me redeem the time and then go to sleep. That is most definitely not the way to redeem the time. It is time to wake up! The fields are ripe for harvest. A sweet time of worship, communion, repentance, refreshing and a restoring of my soul took place that night after the teaching. My cup overflows.

The final teaching on Sunday morning was by my sweet friend, Emily Balli. She is a band wife, so we have lots in common and an unspoken bond. She also likes to make funny faces.

She taught on Psalm 23:6 and pressing on. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. She asked who has pursued us from day one. Jesus. Who is going to continue to pursue and follow and chase us all the days of our lives. Jesus.

The woman at the well. The woman caught in adultery. The leper. The centurion. All were pursued by Jesus.

When I allow Him to pursue me and turn to see Him something happens in those circumstances that overwhelm me. To gaze upon the face of Jesus is to walk on the very circumstances that made us fear. He is goodness and mercy. Let me repeat that, Jesus is the goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives. Jesus demonstrated goodness and mercy to each of those people. He demonstrates it over and over to me.

The goodness and hope of our future. The first phase of His kingdom is to reign over my life, the second phase is universal.

Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, 

but I PRESS ON, that I may lay hold of that 

for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.