Living in Utah, I’m slowly adjusting to the hot, dry summer days. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I felt the rain on my back or heard the pitter-patter of little drops falling on the neighbor’s roof… As a result, I’ve been spending a lot of time outdoors… hiking, biking, walking, playing tennis… I’m sure my body is chock-full of enough Vitamin-D to last me until the first snow. My skin is tanned and my hair has lightened, stained by the sun’s rays… When we enter Fall, we’ll all still be glistening from spending so much time in the sun…
It got me thinking about Moses. Yep, Moses…
“…Moses came down from Mount Sinai… he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him…”*
Moses’ face was radiant. Radiant… As in, glowing brightly or sending out light… transmitting heat… warmth… After having spent time alone with God, he literally shined… So much so, that God’s people were afraid… Awed no doubt by the impact God’s presence had on their leader… He was physically changed…
That’s how I envision it should be for me, for you, for anyone who knows Jesus… Spending time alone in God’s presence should leave me being changed… His Word should create such a stir in our hearts that when we leave our prayer closet, we enter the world glistening with joy, a brightness that fills a room because of His presence within us…
Too often I find myself looking less like a sunbeam and more like a rain cloud… The busyness of life has pushed solitude into a corner room… I’ve convinced myself it’s more worthwhile to clean house, run errands, or simply “stay busy” than stay still… get around than get away… be more than do less… No wonder I’m all wet!
Along with busyness, I find that my worries choke out my hope… the doubt questions the doubtless… the insecure hesitates in the midst of certainty… anxiety strangling assurance… the “what ifs” cloud out the “what might be…”
But Jesus knew this and so He still calls us today…
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest… Learn the unforced rhythms of grace… Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly…”**
And…
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”***
So, let us not be afraid to come and rest… rely on His presence to fill our lives with light… that we might become Sonbeams in a world of rain…
*Exodus 34:29-30
**Matthew 11:28 NIV, 11:28-30 The Message
***2 Corinthians 12:9
pc: Sarah Coffey, atop Victoria Falls, Zambia
Runningwithcoffey 