The Great Exchange
Can you think of a time you were really really tired? Maybe it was after a race well run or after unpacking the last box from a big move, maybe during a time you were sick or in your first months of raising a your newborn child. No matter the time, I’m sure we all can agree that we’ve found ourselves incredibly fatigued at one point or another. In this fatigue we’re often left with a lack of focus or the inability to formulate constructive thoughts. All we want in this moment is quiet, water, stillness, and most importantly to be refueled. We want to regain strength to return to the normalcies of our day to day, the excitement of a weekend away or an upcoming event. Over the last few months I have frequently found myself in this state of fatigue, actually a few of my squamates and I have discussed feeling similarly throughout Rwanda and now as we’ve entered our time here in Romania it’s continued. It’s like enough sleep is never enough sleep and enough water is never enough water, we’re still depleted at the start of the day or at least feeling the exhaustion by the end of our day.
In Rwanda, I tried to find time for naps in my schedule and I would still be depleted of energy and mental capacity by the end of our days. Since then, I have also attempted to drink more and more water and yet I am still finding myself dehydrated even after fueling myself with more than a gallon daily. As I mentioned above, others are feeling similarly. I wish it was different but it’s not. Yet when I started to notice the consistent fatigued, I started to ask God about it. I began praying for him to expand our capacity and to fill our cups back up. I began asking Him to be my fullness, to be my strength and the revelation I have received from Him in this period of lack has proven to be more than enough to sustain me and fulfill me. This revelation has been so necessary, so significant, so beneficial to me I just have to share it with you.
Before coming to Europe, we had a debrief, a period of rest and reflection before moving out of Africa and into a new culture and community here. In this time I found myself the most exhausted I have been on this journey. One morning we were praying and worshipping when I decided to lay on the ground in my fatigue. In this moment I knew I could trust that God’s comfort surrounded me and that He would fill my cup. And guess what?! When I got up from that time of prayer and worship, the fatigue had subsided and I was able to go about my day. A moment of exchange had just occurred.
Again, upon arriving in Romania we were in a prayer and worship time when I sat on the floor and pictured myself sitting empty-handed with nothing left to give at the foot of the cross because I found myself overwhelmed and tired. And Jesus whispered to me in that moment, “I died for this”. He was reminding me through this visual that He exchanged death for life on the cross and through the resurrection. He took our burdens, our tiredness through His life on Earth and said no more. His Spirit resides in us that we shall have life and have it abundantly. His Spirit resides in us that when we give Him our empty, spent, exhausted selves His cup will runneth over us. (Psalm 23)
This is what I call my friends, “The Great Exchange”!
No matter what the reason, we can bring our emptiness to Him and He will be faithful to fill us back up.
Our pain in the night - His joy in the morning
Our suffering - His victory
Our exhaustion - His energy
Our mourning - His comfort
Our meekness - His glory
Our hunger and thirst - His fullness
Our poverty - His kingdom
Our weakness - His strength
Scriptures of confirmation: Matthew 5:3-12, Psalm 30:1-5, 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
We don’t have to do anything to receive from God, other than acknowledge Him and ask in-order to receive from Him. He promises to give us good, good gifts as His creation. (Matthew 7:7-11) I hope this encourages you that all you need to do to find strength for the rest of your day is pray and believe that He will fill you. I promise you that I find peace and comfort in the simple truth that God promises to give us more than enough. I can trust that in His timing He will renew my mind, body and soul as it aligns with His game plan for my life. He will refuel me when water and sleep no longer can. Praise God! (Ephesians 3:14-20)
Note: As I was writing this, I was brought to the song “Run to the Father”. The truth IS that God created us to run, but let’s not forget that He created us to run BACK TO HIM whenever we need to, whenever want to, just whenever. I hear Him speaking over me “run back to me my child, come back to me my faithful one, sit with me my love and I will fill you with my never-ending cup, my never-failing goodness as THE living water, THE bread of life”. (John 4:14, John 6:35)
THANK YOU! Your prayers are being felt in the tension of asking for more every single day.
I feel this so very deeply. And this is the most encouraging thing ever. Thanks for sharing! I definitely needed this. The Living Water and Bread of Life YES
YES & AMEN
Lord, right now as Savanna reads this message fill her up with YOU! All of YOU LORD! Give her all the energy she needs to sustain her daily tasks, fill others up with your love and goodness and feel your presence in all that she does. Provide her with a sweet rest that revives her to accomplish all that she has been sent to do! The end of the race is always the hardest! Help her to push through, keep on running-to YOU!
SO GOOD!!! He is the CUP THAT NEVER RUNS DRY. Praying for supernatural energy, for your rest to be multiplied, and for an OVERFLOW as you finish strong 🙂
100%! These lessons I’ve had to learn repeatedly during my life, and with each lesson a deeper trust in God grows. Thank you for sharing….sooooo important!