Jesus and the disciples had been ministering to people, and He realized that as they had "given out of themselves," they needed to be refilled.
God spoke to me, "Sharon, come apart before you come apart." I realized I needed some quality time alone with Him to be built back up, refreshed, restored, and refilled.
Sometimes we'll be able to take time away with our husbands, but there will be those times when we can't take the time away. This was one of the times in my life I knew that I had to draw in to that quiet place in my house with Him.
Oh, the sweetness of His presence when we pour our heart feelings out to Him, cry and laugh and listen to Him speak to our hearts those words of comfort and encouragement.
Your time with God is your source of strength in life. The Word of God also says, "...the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8:10, KJV).
I remember the day in my devotion time I was feeling discouraged because of a trial we were going through.
I had been carrying the care of the ministry to the point that I had begun having a physical problem. The Lord showed me that even though I would cast the care on Him at the beginning of my day, later on in the evening when I would be still, I would begin meditating on the care again. This worry caused me to have a slight heart problem.
In my heart He spoke to me to dance before Him, but I just didn't feel like it. He also spoke to my heart that David, the Psalmist, once had to encourage himself in the Lord (1 Sam. 30:6). So I began to sing, "The joy of the Lord is my strength" and dance there in my house unto Him.
I felt the release within, and He spoke Psalm 40:3 (KJV) to me that He had put a new song in my heart. "And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God."
Within a couple of weeks, I realized I was healed of my physical problem. You see, carrying the weight of cares can affect your physical body. When you give place to care, fear, unforgiveness, or other such tricks of Satan, you open yourself up for other problems.
It took a process of time to actually walk through the trial, but I had a peace within that God was perfecting the things that concerned us (Psalm 138:8). He did!
God began to give me songs as I read the Scriptures. I found that I could rejoice and again rejoice (Phil. 3:1, 4:4). Paul had to rejoice continually in the midst of prison situations and trials, and God always delivered him.
It has been said that if we let go of our joy, we let go of our strength. Many times it will be a sacrifice of joy when you begin to rejoice, because you might not feel like it. David, the Psalmist, says to offer up the sacrifice of joy (Psalm 27:6).
You'll sense the grace of God rising up within you to overcome when you rejoice, and His joy will be your strength.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
