Isaiah 43:19 Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

Be still & KNOw

In the last few days, I have been given a clarity about what to do next. In my last post, I wrote about being in a unknown place and feeling the discomfort of that. Yet sharing how I felt Psalm 46:10 wash over me, specifically the phrase Be still and know. There is such weight in these words. To “be still” is not necessarily what I thought it meant. The Hebrew word “Rapa” means to sink, relax, sink down, let drop be disheartened, abandon, to refrain, forsake be quiet and let go! The word for Know in Hebrew is “yada”. Yada means to know , to learn and know, to perceived and see, find out and discern, to know by experience and to recognize, acknowledge, to consider and confess. I once thought the phrase meant to calm down and trust God. But more accurately it is to stop and let go- to abandon! And once you do that consider and perceive. Theres something to discern after you let go of your own striving or trying. I feel this phrase is thick with meaning. And it reminds me of the verse in Isaiah 43:19 that says, Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? And that same word perceive is the same Hebrew word- Yada used in the phrase Be still and know! Isn’t that wonderful?

Don’t Rush it

In my rush to figure out an answer in this unknown season God wants me to perceive what he is doing. He is doing a new thing! And for a while now, I have felt like I am on the cusp of great change. And these verses, confirm to me that what God is doing , is something NEW! So if it feels odd or slow, wait for it as Habakuk 2:3 says, it will surely happen. Often when I write, I have no idea what will transpire but that paragraph above spoke to the depths of a soul yearning for understanding the path of life I am on. And I feel more clear about where I am right now. That I indeed do not have to rush this season to its end. I need to savor it beautiful because there is something to discover in this unknown season. I wrote in the last post a poem about savoring this season beautiful and not rushing its close. I am learning its in these uncomfortable seasons, growth comes. Nothing forces you to question more than when you are in an uncomfortable position. And those questions are necessary- a necessary part of this wrestle to grow.

My growth in Grief

it is so interesting how much I have grieved the things trying to stretch and grow me. How can I turn from the thing looking to provide me the experiences and lessons I will need to grow. When a caterpillar is in its cocoon and about to emerge as a butterfly, it must struggle its way out of the cocoon to break free. if you were to help the butterfly and cut the cocoon open, you would rob it of the exercise necessary for its wings to gain the strength to fly. Sometimes, I want to rob myself of discomfort. But its the discomfort that makes us grow! Lately, most of my grief has been what I am afraid of in this next season. I am afraid of what I do not know but that will only hold me back from the good this new season offers. And maybe currently, this grief I have held onto is trying to tell me to let go of it. I can no longer move forward with this weight in my heart. I can take the lessons, but I must leave the heaviness behind. I must abandon it now. Not that grief is bad, but grief is meant to be released, not held! I must abandon it and move forward to perceive what God is doing. I am reminded of Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. And this time, I not only believe it but feel it. While feeling aren’t everything, its nice when they align with truth. I will continue to discover and perceive all God has for me. in the midst of the unknown and the discomfort, I will believe and perceive all the good God is preparing for me. But for now, I will savor this season beautiful. And I wish the same for you!