Lean Back into Me
“Come and sit in Me and I will refresh you and give you rest for your weary soul”, says the Lord.
Recently on our way to church worshipping our Lord and acknowledging His presence, Holy Spirit highlighted a chair sitting by the curb along the street. Then as we headed onto the freeway, He highlighted two stacked chairs laying near the center divide. He had my attention and I was reminded of the many instances in the past week where chairs had been highlighted. It was even to the point that I had bought a new desk chair that week for my home office, as the old one was rickety and worn out.
In pondering why these chairs were being highlighted and the awareness of what they represented, I heard the Lord say, “LEAN BACK INTO ME”.
There are times we don’t realize we have shifted from doing things in Him to with Him to doing it in our own strength. Some of us are worn out, burned out, and just plain exhausted and feeling a sense of hopelessness. We’ve been believing God for the vision and the promises, but have grown weary. His word warns us of this. He never said it would be easy. He said there would be trials and tribulations, but instructed us not to lose heart.
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. - Galatians 6:9 NKJV
I sense in my heart that this is His invitation to His Bride altogether. While individually, this is our inheritance and our identity in Christ, but I am feeling that this is an invitation to collectively lean into Him and rest in our identity which is secured by the high price that only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, could pay. The Bible says Jesus is coming for a spotless bride. We are collectively His bride and if we are striving and running ahead of Him, or staying on the sidelines, we are out of alignment with Him and His will.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:4-6 NKJV
He wants to encourage His people that in this time of TRANSITION and CROSSING OVER into the new places, the new territory, and the new opportunities, to REMEMBER to SURRENDER, to RELEASE, to TRUST, and LEAN BACK in Him.
These are perilous times we are in and we cannot afford to do things in our own strength. We cannot risk relying on our own decision making, logic and understanding. God is outside of time and space and He knows beyond anything that we can fathom or imagine in our finite thinking. He wants to comfort us to be rest assured that what we are stepping into is HIS best. He’s inviting us to sit and rest in Him and find the closeness and intimacy we are yearning for. In this place and posture, we will receive guidance, direction, comfort and clarity and a refreshing for our souls. It is our HARVEST time and when we sit and rest with Him, He takes care of the rest.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. - Revelations 14:15-16 NKJV
To add the cherry on top of this word, the Lord had stirred my daughter as well. As we left church on our drive home, she played a worship song called, “Lean Back” by Maverick City Music. I don’t recall ever really hearing the words in this song. I was so touched that Holy Spirit used her as well to minister this message. I have been listening and worshipping with this song since and really feel the shift and rest that I truly needed.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve received and released words on doing what we are called to do and finishing this year strong. However, I am blown away at how faithful God is to step in our situation and release a revelation and a KEY to our breakthrough and destiny. He wants to encourage you to sit, stay a while and lean into Him. The shift, transition, and crossing over are not just actions, but a mere transforming of the mind and breaking of strongholds taking us into a place of fullness in Christ.
And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:6-7 NKJV
That evening after church we had an encounter night with a community of local churches in unity right in our own neighborhood. In the midst of worshipping Jesus and praying for our region and for the harvest to come in, I heard God say, “HOPE IS ALIVE”.
Let this encourage you that Jesus’ love for you is so GREAT. He wants the BEST for you and for His BRIDE. He is our Advocate and intercedes on our behalf. There is no greater place to be than resting in His presence. His word is filled with promises, with revelation, wisdom and encouragement. His love for us is EVERLASTING and will never run out. He is LOVE so LEAN into HIM and receive the abundance and fruitfulness that is only found in Christ our King.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV
