A Personal Letter of Encouragement
- Jeff Hammond
- Mar 18, 2022
- 4 min read
I didn’t spend much time with God yesterday morning like I have been. I woke up tired and went back to sleep. The day before I did quite a bit of work outside because it was so nice. That coupled with the time change must have caught up to me. I came home after having a nice lunch with Laurel, my wife, and the lady she takes care of. As I sat in my recliner I began to feel the presence of God enter the room. Actually… It was likely already there and I was just in a posture to notice. It hit me so heavy that I began to cry. The sweetness of his presence reminded me of what I was missing. There was a certain uneasiness that I was walking in beforehand. I didn’t even know it until his goodness brought light to it. It was like he was saying, you didn’t come and see me this morning so I came to see you. Oh how I long and need to be in the presence of God every day. The closer I get to him the more I realize how much I need him. These times that we live in are very tiresome. It is only in the quiet embrace of the Holy Spirit that I can find rest. I am reminded of Isaiah 40:30-31 and Matthew 11:28-30 ( see below ). The verses in Mathew are something that God has been teaching me about over that last year or so.
You might be wondering why I am even sharing this with you. Nobody really takes the time to share personal things online these days it seems. We see the highlight real play over and over with photos or memes that represent the best parts of our life or how we might be feeling. Maybe there was an article or video that impacted us and wanted others to read or listen too. Or maybe something to just make us laugh and forget about the craziness around us. But I have been feeling the goodness of God working in my life and want others to know that they can experience it too. I feel that God is leading me to share the personal parts of my life with others. I am not saying that it is always easy and I don’t have trials and tests because I do. But I am saying I don’t know how I could do it without him.
I pray that you will find your way to the one and only true God and creator. That your eyes would be illuminated with hope of his calling. That he would show up for you as you ask him too. And that it would be the beginning of something beautiful. No one knows you like he does. And you will never be truly fulfilled unless you find your purpose in him. He is the one that has already written about you. Did you know that? He has already written about the plans he has for you in his book! ( see the passage from Psalms below )
“Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 NCV
“Even youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.”
Isaiah 40:30-31 AMP
“Lord, you know everything there is to know about me. You perceive every movement of my heart and soul, and you understand my every thought before it even enters my mind. You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book and you know all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence! You know every step I will take before my journey even begins. You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness you follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. You have laid your hand on me! This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible! Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength. Where could I go from your Spirit? Where could I run and hide from your face? If I go up to heaven, you’re there! If I go down to the realm of the dead, you’re there too! If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, you’re there! If I fly into the radiant sunset, you’re there waiting! Wherever I go, your hand will guide me; your strength will empower me. It’s impossible to disappear from you or to ask the darkness to hide me, for your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night. There is no such thing as darkness with you. The night, to you, is as bright as the day; there’s no difference between the two. You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking. It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord! You even formed every bone in my body when you created me in the secret place; carefully, skillfully you shaped me from nothing to something. You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book. Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me.”
Psalms 139:1-18 TPT
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