Blessed are those who take refuge up Him. Can I get an amen?

These last few months have been very tumultuous since Ricky, my husband, had cancer surgery to remove his bile duct and a portion of his liver. We both feel like we have been in a pressure cooker (Instapot for you younger ones) since April 16th.

By the grace of God, Jesus has been and continues to be my refuge. I feel God pulling me in close during all the moments I have wanted to crumble. Every post-operative crisis has caused worry, fear, and distress in my heart. The only way I have made it is by reading His Word, singing songs of praise and worship to Him alone, and the prayers of my brothers and sisters in Christ.

As I sit here in the fourth different hospital room since surgery, I am invited to be still and know that Ricky and I are both kept by an awesome, mighty Lord and Savior. With every fiber of my being, I have thanked Him for His steadfast love, presence, and assurance. I pray that you can relate to this type of peace in your life.

When Jesus asks us to abide, He is not saying to cloister ourselves away like a nun or a monk. He knows you have to abide in something no matter where you are physically. This type of abiding is a spiritual place, a “secret place,” as stated in Matthew 6:6. This is where we meet our Creator and are transformed. It is the place where spiritual power and activity are released—to know His heart and to receive His communication. It’s a place of quiet rest before my Master. This is the shadow of the Almighty God, and we go there to just gaze firmly upon our Lord and abide in His presence.

Do not avoid stillness and rest from the busyness of life. I know that I spent many years using my duties as wife, Mother, and teacher as reasons for not having a habit of quiet time with the Lord. I have learned through many trials and heartbreaks that this is where I gain the strength to cope with what gets thrown at me in this world.

I love the story of Susannah Wesley, Mother of the Methodist Wesley brothers. Raising eight children (basically by herself because her husband was a traveling evangelist), she found her secret place by just covering her head with her apron and being before her Savior in the middle of her kitchen. The children knew better than to disturb their Mother when the apron was covering her. She was in the shadow of the Almighty. We can embrace the quiet and lean into God’s eternal presence and peace. You feel His crazy love for you and know He is singing over you. (Zephaniah 3:14 -17)

Abide in this context is from the Greek meno, which means “remain,” “dwell,” or “make your home in.” So He could say,  “Make your home in the shadow of My presence.”

I love this quote by J. Hudson Taylor, an early missionary to China:

“The branch of the vine does not worry, toil, and rush here to seek sunshine, and there to find rain. No, it rests in union and communion with the vine.”

We can practice pausing throughout our day and go home to be with Jesus. We can mentally put the apron of the “secret place” over our heads and just have a little talk with Jesus.

My Prayer:
Worrying, stressing, and feeling like everything is imploding comes so easily to me. But I want to let go of things outside my control. Teach me to turn my worries into worship. Fill my thoughts with You and the peace You give. Help me to abide in Your shadow. Thank You for the “Home” you provide me while here on this earth. Help me desire to be in this home with You. Help me practice making it a priority to pause, be still, and enjoy alone time with You because I am crazy in love with You.
In Jesus’ name,

Rebekah Marsh
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#rebekahmarshblogs