When a season of turmoil, trial, testing and tribulations pull us into a deep pit, we long for rescue, for God’s quiet waters, stillness and calm to soothe us.
The freeing breath of peace seems elusive until we seek it in Him and not in our circumstances.
And find how faith in Christ becomes the stabilising anchor for our wandering, wilful souls thrown about in life’s stormy seas.
His grace is the means by which we endure and stay calm in the midst of chaos in our circumstances, mind and heart.
Adversity and affliction sift and refine us, make us come forth (eventually) as gold from the fiery furnace.
And they are made bearable by the recognition God is right here with us, in the heat of it all, ready to rescue and save as necessary.
Sometimes a holy agitation occurs which makes us sit up and sense His presence.
What I mean by ‘holy agitation’ is a gentle stirring on the inside, a Holy Spirit nudge, if you like, that grows stronger over time to alert our sleepy souls to His deeper reality and purpose for us.
‘Rescue’
My life feels stuck and stagnant,
mired in mud soul-deep
And as I stretch yearning arms
toward empty skies, I reach
a place where soft breeze
wrinkles water where I lie
An angel has passed by
to offer holy agitation
to set me free from
stagnation, from still pools,
with soft spools of Spirit sighs
An arm reaches down to mine
Across galaxies, across all time,
eternity of stars so bright
Ready to lift me up, rescue
from dark pit of night
My eyes raised high
from gloom and dim,
I feel the breath of Life
filling lungs with Light
and I cling hard to Him
©JoyLenton2015
Dear Reader and Friend,
You know something? Clinging hard to the Lord is where I’m at right now after a prolonged season of increasing sickness since Christmas. Being stubborn old me, I rested up as much as possible after having the flu, but also drove myself as hard as possible to appear relatively ‘normal’ again afterwards.
Apparently, a lot of folk with M.E are like that. Who knew? So I kept up my writing schedules and pulled back from all avoidable social media interaction for a while.
And now? I am deep bone-weary and weak. In need of further rest and sleep, restoration and recovery. In need of not only leaning into Lent but laying down for much of it. In need of putting first things first ~ God, family, health and so on.
Maybe you can relate? You don’t have to be suffering from M.E and chronic illness to feel drained and burnt out.
I’m sensing God saying this is a good time to take a break from blogging for a while, to stay under the protective shadow of His wings as He pours His love, refreshing rest and peace into body and soul.
So I am finally listening and doing just that ~ thinking I can hear a heavenly sigh of ‘At last’ as I do so! It means I will be missing here and on ‘Words of Joy’ for a bit, though I will be honouring my writing commitments elsewhere.
And you can catch up with me on my Facebook page because I could be posting there sometimes as God inspires, enables and indicates it’s fine to do so.
You can also stay in touch with me on my ‘Words of Joy’ Facebook page or connect with me on Twitter, Google + or Pinterest as I dip in and out of those places too.
Meanwhile, do feel free to dive into the archives and find something to bless and encourage you. And if you find something you like, please consider leaving a comment or sharing. Your thoughts and words matter. Thank you! May God bless you and keep you until we meet again. With love, Joy 🙂 ❤
Poetry Joy 
Darling heart, sorry you are so very weary, but sister, I hear you, and I think we both need some still waters time to soak in some strength and have our souls refreshed. I love the phrase “holy agitation” – perfect! The poem is just wonderful. xx
Thank you, Keren. You know just how it feels to be so drained and exhausted by M.E and the inner restlessness which drives us to try to carry on when we shouldn’t. May this Easter season find you resting ever more closely in God. Blessings of health and strength to you, dear friend. xox ❤
Dear Joy — I am so sorry you are not feeling well, but so glad you are listening to Father and seeking to REST! And after a while I hope we see you back here sharing your heart in your wonderful poems and prose. I will be praying for you. Blessings of peace, rejuvenation and love. xxoo
Sheila, I am so relieved I finally began to listen to God as well as listening to my body! Although I still feel very weak and weary and have to pace carefully, there is a degree of inner rest and calm which wasn’t there before I took a break. Thank you so much for your lovely encouragement as I tentatively share my words again. Bless you, dear friend. May you have a wonderful Easter of refreshment and peace in knowing who you are In Christ. xox ❤
Rest well, Joy. You might find it easier and much more beneficial if you don’t “dip in” to any of it. I know from experience a little ends up too much many times. Take care of yourself within Christ. Don’t concern yourself with keeping up. We will all be here at your return. Blessings to you.
Wise words, Heather! Abstaining and withdrawing are often the last things we want to do but they become the very methods God uses to minister to our souls. Our time and attention can so easily be lost in pointless pursuits. But it’s when we lack the ability to get through our days without pulling back from ‘normal’ and engaging in serious resting that we know it’s a signal to heed. I’m glad to be back again and hope I can slowly recover more energy over time. Blessings of health and strength to you too! xox 🙂
Thank you Joy for your heart-soothing and encouraging words. Taking a while to recover from a series of colds, asthma and infections this winter, I needed that 🙂 Bless you for your honesty and may you soon feel stronger again x
I’m sorry to hear how you have been struggling too, Debbie. Sometimes it takes several challenging things happening at once to convince us we need a real rest and a long break from our usual activities. I’m praying you will be able to heal, rest and recover your strength and energy soon. It’s hard to press pause on our busyness but essential for our well-being in general. Sending sympathy ((Hugs)) and love to you. xox 🙂
Hi Joy. I’m so sorry you are so weary, but I’m glad you’re following your heart’s nudge to rest. I love how you describe that “holy agitation.” May God be with you and keep you! Hugs!
Hi Trudy. As you will have read by now, the challenges of resting are manifold. It’s never as easy or straightforward as it may seem. Sometimes the “holy agitation” doesn’t let up until we ‘get’ it! I’m praying you will reap the benefits of resting for a while from feeding the blogging monster as you take your own soul sanctuary time. May God be very close to you and give you His ease and peace. Sending empathy ((Hugs)), blessings, love and prayers. xox ❤
I hope you’ll feel better soon. Hang in there, and remember that God will always, always rescue us no matter where we are.
Hi Lux. Thanks for stopping by to offer kind encouragement. I really appreciate it. As you can see, I am far from being a ‘superwoman’! May God continue to bless and encourage your heart as you journey with Him. 🙂 x
Beautiful, heart uplifting words shared here Joy. Thank you for sharing your gift with us. God bless you, my friend
It’s lovely to see you here, Anita! Thanks very much for finding time and energy to visit. I hope and pray you are feeling stronger too in every way. God bless you, friend. xox 🙂