On the 7th day of Christmas...

On the seventh day of Christmas, the Father gave to all -- 
  rest from our duties,
  the days of creation,
  the miracle of the loaves,
  the truth of the Gospels,
  prayers at Gethsemane,
  the veil torn in two, 
  and His Son to save us from our sins. 

Yesterday's blog was about the miracles of creation, but today's blog is about what God did when He was finished.

Genesis 2:1-3 NASB
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Confession time: I don't usually rest on the 7th day.  I've often done things I consider work -- wash clothes, fold clothes, do school prep work, etc.  And while I don't want to encroach on legalism, I suspect that I really should just be relaxing, feet kicked up, on the 7th day and preparing my body for the tasks of the days that lay ahead.

So last night, I cried about Benjamin until nearly 2am.  Without him there to kiss and hug for 2017, the new year's arrival felt hollow and empty.  This morning, it was beyond me to arise for church.  I was too exhausted physically and emotionally to rise, so I didn't.  I just laid in bed, alternating dozing with staring at the ceiling.

I'm not a "resolutions" type of person, but as I lay in bed trying to force myself to just get up, I said, "for this new year, I'm going to strive to give the LORD the first-fruits of my day instead of what I've been doing, which amounts to SOS "calls" and afterthoughts."  So, I arose and spent a couple of hours reading various devotionals (I got several for Christmas) and jotting notes in a journal.  If felt quite amazing to sit, spend time in God's word, and just mull over what it means to me and my season of life.

I then decided to see what the Verse of the Day was from my Bible app called You Version.  Right there, on the top of the screen was this verse:
 
Isaiah 43:19 NASB

19 "Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, 
Rivers in the desert." 

As I read this verse, the song "Your Great Name" by Natalie Grant started playing -- a song Benjamin would play over and over at times.

This verse plus that song felt like a sweet love touch from the LORD.  It felt like He said, "yes, I want you to come to Me first every day so I can order your steps.  Stop trying to do this on your own."  And the song was a reminder of my husband's faith in Jesus and the fact that one day I *will* see him again.  It's also pretty awesome that one of my devotionals is called Streams in the Desert.

I am so glad that I took the time to rest, pray, read the Bible, and study a few devotionals.  The LORD of all creation came to visit my broken heart.  If I had neglected the rest, if I had hastily arisen without giving the LORD my first fruits, I would have missed that sweet moment.

I wonder what tomorrow morning holds?  I can't wait!

Friend, I pray that if you are struggling to give the LORD the first fruits of your day as I am, you will find an extra measure of discipline to make it happen.  I pray that you find the right rhythm, the right method that connects to your thinking and learning style so that you can absorb the amazing words of the LORD.  And I pray that you gain amazing insights from spending time with Him that will buoy you through your days. 

*Graphic at beginning of page is from the website The Graphics Fairy.  All credit for the lovely image belongs to them.