Everyone Needs a Time of Refreshing

Last summer I was mowing at some property my boss had recently purchased. I arrived that morning and mowed all day until about 3:30 or 4 p.m. when I began to feel weak. I have found that the older I get the quicker I seem to tire but all I was doing was riding on a lawn mower. I wasn’t push mowing or doing any excessive weed eating. The sun at 4 0’clock seemed to be in a position that I just couldn’t get away from and before I realized it I had to lie down in the shade and rest. I think this was the only time I can remember when I stopped to rest that I couldn’t start up again. I finally loaded the mower up and I was finished for the day. My body needed to rest and I needed to be revitalized. I guess everyone at some time in their life has come to a point they needed to take a break. It might be from mowing grass, moving something, cutting wood, cleaning house or just exercising. You just need to stop and enjoy a drink of water, tea, lemonade, or some type of refreshment. There are times our bodies just need a break and time of refreshing.

We can read in John 4 where Jesus was going from Judea to Galilee and when He came to a certain city He was wearied from His journey. There were times that even Jesus’ body needed refreshing. He stopped at a well of that city to refresh Himself as the disciples went into the city to get food. A Samarian woman came to the well and He asked her for a drink of water. She was amazed that He would even talk to her since she was a Samaritan. Their conversation continued until He revealed to her that she needed living water so that she would never thirst again. This woman was changed spiritually forever with a spiritual refreshing that gave new life to her physical body as well and Jesus was also spiritually refreshed as He was able to offer a new life to this woman.

Life throws many things at us as we journey through it and we can find ourselves discouraged, depressed, or feeling all alone. You might be a teenager with problems at school or maybe a close friend has disappointed you and you feel like the world is crashing around you. You might be a parent with a problem child or it might be that you and your husband had an argument and harsh words were exchanged between you. Maybe you are someone whose loved one has passed away and it seems your time of mourning is never going to end. There are many different circumstances that will bring us into one of life’s valleys.

Peter had such a time in his life when he denied the Lord Jesus. He had declared that he would lay down his life for Jesus [John 13:37] and had even followed at a distance when Jesus was arrested. He gained access to where Jesus had been taken and there he was confronted three times and accused of being a disciple of Christ. When he had denied that he knew Him the third time a rooster crowed. Luke records in Luke 22 (NKJV) 60 But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." The next verse says that Peter went out and wept bitterly.

If you are a Christian can you imagine denying that you know Jesus? Jesus restored fellowship with Peter in John 21:15-19 and this gives us hope that He will be with us in our darkest times. He told us in the book of John that when He went away He would send another Comforter that He may abide with us forever [John 14:15-18]. I really like what John writes in verse 23 of the same chapter [Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him]. Jesus has said He would send a Comforter to us and here He promises that “We will come and make Our home with you”. God will come to anyone who trusts Jesus as Savior in the form of the Holy Spirit and He will not only be a comfort in their daily life but will bring a time of refreshing after low points in their life.

Jesus said that He came so that anyone who trusts Him may have life and have it more abundantly. We all may have some low points in our lives but if we would just turn all things over to Jesus we wouldn’t have nearly as many down times as we do. When a person walks in the Holy Spirit they just can’t help but be happy and enjoy life. When was the last time you were really excited about going to church services? Do you look forward to church time or do you dread it? So many folks today don’t even take time to attend services and they miss a time of refreshing by just being in His house with His people worshipping Him. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior the greatest time of refreshing you can experience is to accept Christ as Savior and let Him lift every burden of life from your shoulders. Only He can do that and I speak from experience; can you? I hope you can too. CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!