“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of his wonderful acts, Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles and the judgments he pronounced, O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.” (1 Chronicles 16:8-13)
By definition the term ‘refresh’ assumes that a person was ‘fresh’ at some point in the past. Refresh is a verb that means to restore something that has been lost or diminished; in this case, freshness. So the first question we must ask is, does your spirit need to be re-freshed?
I would pray that all of us are walking so closely with Christ that our spirit is constantly experiencing freshness that comes from true intimacy with God through the power of the Spirit. However, I will take the risk of believing that for many, perhaps most, alright, probably all of us, we thirst for a refreshment of our spirit. If that includes you, then let’s work through these next ten weeks together and seek with faith and joy the refreshment that God so dearly desires for us.
If ‘refreshment’ is a return to ‘freshness’, then it seems right that the first step in this process should include the use of our memory. So here are three questions/actions for you:
† Can you think back to a time when your soul overflowed with the joy and love of God? Think for a moment to one of those mountaintop experiences in your life. Breathe it in and see if you can experience again in some small way what your heart felt at that moment.
† Take a moment and thank God for that experience and what it meant in your life. Praise him for coming to you in such an intimate and powerful way.
† Ask God to keep this memory fresh in your heart and to lead you to a time and place where you can experience such freshness again.
King David knew the importance of memory. When the ark was returned to the temple he responded with a Psalm of Thanksgiving where he called upon the children of Israel to “remember the wonders he has done, his miracles and judgments he pronounced.” David returned to this theme in Psalm 103. Listen to his words and make them yours today.
“Praise the Lord. O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
Who forgives all your sins
And heals all your diseases
Who redeems your life from the pit
And crowns you with love and compassion
Who satisfies your desires with good things
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
In Christ, you have been forgiven, healed, redeemed, crowned and satisfied! Let that reality wash over you today and refresh your spirit!
Prayer
Dear Lord, I praise you for those times in my life when you have been so close to me that my spirit soared like the eagle’s. Today I claim your promise that I have been forgiven, healed, redeemed, crowned and satisfied. Now I pray that you would refresh my spirit, restore my youth and equip me in a new and powerful way to undertake this vocation to which you have called me. To you be the honor and praise and glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.