When Trust Leans In

When was the last time you leaned against someone you love?

   Not just propping against them for fun or because you're tired.

      But leaning in for the sole purpose of just BEING.

As a little girl, I remember how loved, cherished and safe I felt when I climbed into Dad's lap and leaned against his chest.

Sometimes he would ask me simple questions like, "Did you have a good day at school, blondie curls?" or "What's on your mind, sweetheart?"

Sometimes we didn't talk at all. I'd just lean in. And he would put his arm around me and let me. I could hear his steady heartbeat.

Sometimes it would lull me to sleep.

I think Dad treasured those times as much as I did, because he understood that for those precious moments, I didn't want to be anywhere else except right there with him.

John, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, understood leaning in first hand. But he didn't lean against his own dad. He leaned against the Father's Son:

"Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved." John 13:23 (KJV)

That picture speaks volumes about complete trust. Both from John and Jesus.

The word translated bosom (kolpos) means literally the front of the body between the arms.  It's the place where our heart is most vulnerable. In that intimate place, we let our guard down. Relax. Breathe deeply.

Leaning into Jesus is exactly where He wants us.

  He died to make us whole.

      Great sacrifice elicits great trust.

On days when life knocks me around, I walk into my home, sit in my favorite chair, and simply lean back in silent prayer. In those moments, I picture myself leaning against Jesus.

I sit still and just breathe.

And hear His gentle whispers as His Word floods my mind.

In this life, the winds of adversity blow hard. Winter seasons of hurt can cover our hearts like frostbite. We try to rely on our own strength. To stand straight and tall alone. But we don't have to.

So before your knees buckle under the strain, lean into the Rock of Ages.

To hear His heartbeat.

   To regain equilibrium.

      To feel His secure assurance that He's your shield and fortress.

Jesus treasures those times we lean into Him. He created us to long for that vulnerable, intimate relationship. It's the only place where we find our immeasurable worth and eternal security.

Trust ... it's all in the leaning.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

In this season of your life, who or what are you leaning into?

Photo from here.

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For When the Seasons of Change Blow In

The trees are stirring. I feel the winds of change approaching.

I bet you've felt them before, too.

I'm not sure exactly what's coming, I can just feel it. It's a whisper in my soul.

If you're a parent, perhaps you can relate as you prepare your children for a new school year and all its uncertainties. Or as you prepare yourself or your spouse for a new career. Or relocating your family.

I sense the shift in the air around my life. As I spend time with God in the stillness, I feel those winds right outside the front door of my heart, but not quite entering yet.

That timing is up to God.

Change is already blowing at Artesian Ministries. After a summer of renewal and rejuvination, I leave next month to speak on a second ministry cruise! I'm beginning the research, writing and preparation for taping the next DVD Bible study series in January. And my first traditionally published Bible study, "The God of All Comfort", releases on August 15th. JOY!

But that's the ministry side.

These approaching winds of change are stirring something within my heart.

Three weeks ago, a surprising book landed in my hands: Praying For Your Future Husband. I stood in the street at my mailbox like a sledgehammer blindsided me.

So many questions and thoughts raced through my mind. Really? Am I ready? You just finished healing my heart from a devastating divorce nearly three years ago. I'm finally breathing fresh air after being suffocated by pain. I don't know if I can do this. Seriously, God?

But those questions all centered around my insecurities and fears, not God's plan and direction.

Jesus' disciples struggled with the same thing.

Even though they spent the majority of their time in His presence following Him faithfully, questions eventually surfaced based on fear when change started blowing around them, as well:

"Then Jesus got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." Matthew 8:23-26

Jesus taught them that even when the winds blow hard, we can trust Him to calm the storm. I don't want to be one of "little faith," but some days I am. 

So instead of questioning and flinching, I'm slowly taking my time going through that book. I'm not reading just to finish and check it off of my to-be-read pile.

I'm seeking God more than I'm seeking anything else.

When the wind and waves of change billow us around, anchoring to the foundation of Christ keeps us from going down. Charles Spurgeon once stated, "I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages."

So if you're feeling changes approaching, there are a few steps of preparation that I'm following which may help you, as well:

1) Spend quite, still time in prayer.  Tell God what you're feeling. Yes, He already knows, but voicing your fears identifies them out loud. Like shedding light into darkness, voicing our fears to God turns on the light and diminishes the scary factor. Ask Him for the tenacity to trust Him.

2) Listen. Voice your praise and concerns, then be still. We cannot hear His assurance and guidance if we don't let Him get in a single word.

3) Stay alert. Change sometimes blows in like a slight rustling of grass on the prairie of our heart. Paying attention to the direction of that gentle wind provides clues as to what's coming.

4) Ask a trusted friend (or two) to pray for you. Sometimes we're too close to a situation to see change until it's blowing our wig off. Ask a trusted friend or two to pray that God would make clear to you the plans He's stirring in your life.

As I walk through these steps, there's a part of me that's ready to embrace these changes. And yet there's a part of me that wants to batten down the hatches to prevent the wind from getting in.

But I trust the Captain of my life. As I enter this coming season keeping my eyes on Him, I realize that there will be days when the waves intimidate me. But I know in the depths of my soul that my Savior is there right beside me every step of the way.

"I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety." Psalm 16:8-9 (NLT)

When you feel change approaching, how do you respond? How do you guard against fear?
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Photo from here, used by permission.