when doubt creeps in, stare at the son
Have you ever wondered about your circadian rhythm? What is a circadian rhythm you might ask, google says it is this… “Your circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock. Light, sleep patterns, hormones, meals, and temperature can all influence your circadian rhythm, which in turn can influence your overall health. Your circadian rhythm is your sleep-wake pattern over the course of a 24-hour day.”
One of the things I know about resetting your circadian rhythms is by first thing when rising with the sun that it’s important to go outside first thing and close your eyes and stare at the sun. Then I thought how beautiful is it that when we feel all the baggage and heaviness of the world around us, all we have to do is look at the Son. There’s a story in Numbers 21 about something similar; the Israelites were gossiping and complaining about Moses, saying:
“They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” 6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.”
As many of you know I am raising support to financially and prayerfully gain support for the Call God has put on my life in going to bible college in Australia…I can relate to the Israelites about walking in the unknown territory God has called me to. I’m in unfamiliar territory right now, and most likely will be for all of next year(literally). The really beautiful part of this story I think we can all relate to is the aspect of humanity wanting to find comfort in what’s familiar. I have been told by loved ones that they think what I am doing is not right, insane, euphoric…anything logic can do to describe the Holy Spirit. That’s just it, the heaviness of this world wants comfort and logical answers for the pain and suffering we endure. However we can rejoice and take heart knowing Jesus won the victory, paid the price, and sent us the Holy Spirit as our Comforter. The greek name for the Holy Spirit is Paráklētos which means Comforter.
But what I really love even more is that the same person the people didn’t trust, called insane, crazy, (cough cough Moses), is the same person the Lord told that He had to pray for the very people that criticized him. It was an act of ONLY God’s Holy Spirit operating in Mercy and Forgiveness. THEN!!! The cherry on top of this story is that not only should we pray for the people who don’t believe in us, trust us, you fill in that blank… we GET to look at the cross and it HEALS us!
I say all this because friends I am out of Egypt and in a wilderness of facing the doubters, BUT GOD I am able and GET to look at the cross to see where my treasure in heaven lies, my eternal hope and future… I can take heart knowing that Christ won the victory once and for all and that the suffering now cannot compare to the Glory that is coming. If we suffer with Him, we will Glory with Him.
A word of encouragement for all my friends reading this that might be going through some doubt, criticism, the unknown…go outside and stare at the Son. The One Who can heal you, redeem you, and bring you all the peace you need. My devotional today was based on Isaiah 26:3 which is Godronic
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Amen!