I love a porch, but especially in the summertime. I have an entire Pinterest board devoted to my “some day” dream porch. I love sitting in the swing, rocking in the rocking chair, relaxing with a good book and glass of iced tea or gathering with friends and family for good food, conversation and laughter. The porch is a great place to relax, unwind, put your feet up and take a load off at the end of your day. It’s a comfortable and peaceful place. This week for Summer SOAK, join me on the front porch, Let’s use the imagery of the front porch (or back porch) to prompt us to praise God who is our comfort, our peace, our burden-bearer and the One to whom we can run for refuge any time we need. (Hebrews 4:16)
SOAK:
May the Lord be praised! Day after day He bears our burdens; God is our salvation. Selah—Psalm 68:19
This is one of my favorite “front porch” kind of verses. It’s one of those great reminders at the end of a long day (or season) when my heart is heavy with the burdens and cares of this life. It’s like that swing on the front porch where I can sit, take a load off, swing and let the rhythm relax my body and mind. God is my burden-bearer. I can take my cares before Him, pour out my heart to Him and leave it all in His hands. The wonderful thing is I can do this anytime I need —over and over and over again. As I’ve shared before, I know at some point I’ll try to pick it up again. I’ll try to shoulder it all and fix it all. I love that Jesus is always there, ever-present, ready to hear my heart, bear my burden and flood my heart and soul with His peace.
I love how this verse ends —Selah. Selah is a musical term found often in the psalms. It’s a term that conveys a pause, an interruption. Some believe it is a statement of fact —”let it be so.” It’s like a long sigh, an exhale, where we let it all go and lay it at the Savior’s feet. It’s that much-needed interruption, and pause in all our busyness, “fixing”, fretting and weariness where we stop and lay our burdens down.
Hear God’s heart in a cross-reference verse for Psalm 68:19:
Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. —Isaiah 46:3
Praise be to the Lord, to God, my Savior, who daily bears my burdens!
SHINE:
Spend some time reflecting on the verses from today and on the fact that God is our burden-bearer! What’s burdening your heart today? Exhale and let it go. Lay it at the Savior’s feet. Let the Lord be your burden-bearer and walk in His peace and comfort today.
It’s my prayer that through this series we will, “from the rising of the sun to its setting”, focus on and praise our amazing God! We’ll take the Word for the day and think about it, ponder it, pray it and practice it. We’ll allow it to really SOAK into our hearts and lives. And then we’ll SHINE — boast, rave, praise and celebrate God’s presence in our lives, reflecting Jesus to those around us.
©2014 Susan Cady, susancady.com
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