BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF OUR BEHOLDER SERIES: Introducing Guest writer Megan M. Evans, author and blogger with a heart for discipleship. Megan writes, speaks, and teaches women about enjoying God in each busy day. Join us, reading her lovely words in “Finding Beauty in Our Weary Season.” Be sure to scroll down and enter our BOOK GIVEAWAY for a signed copy of “Permission To Walk: A 40-Day Journey to Unhurried Peace.”
FINDING BEAUTY IN A WEARY SEASON
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
Isaiah 43:19 ESV
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Standing there with a water hose, I realized I was too late. Lengthy days exposed to the elements had taken their toll on my favorite rose bushes, and blooms that had once been lush and thriving now stared back at me, looking spent and unkempt. I, too, had been living out weary days and saw myself reflected in the dryness. This garden scene seemed to perfectly capture my heart.
“It’s too late. They’re gone,” I sighed. Drifting into thought, I found myself pondering hope for my own fatigue. However, something unexpected caught my eye. As I reached up to pluck off a dry petal, I spotted a vibrant speck of green and red just below the branch. It was a brand new rosebud just beginning to open. God was still at work making way for fresh new life and bringing with it fresh new hope. God was not done with me either.
Behold, I am doing a new thing.
How did I miss it before? I practically had to reach right over the bud to pick off the dead branch I was intently inspecting. Isn’t that just like us? We get so focused on what is not there that we miss these tender shoots of hope springing forth.
Oh God, you are always at work. Forgive me that I do not always perceive it.
In Christ, our weary seasons are still seasons of fresh new life and beauty. Challenging circumstances may wilt us, and dry seasons of life tend to leave us feeling forgotten, but Isaiah 43:19 reminds us that God is on the move, even now. Wilderness places need wilderness-ready prayers, and we can boldly pray them.
When I feel spent, Jesus is fresh new life.
When I feel dry, Jesus is daily Living Water.
When I feel stuck, Jesus is doing a new thing.
“When I feel spent, Jesus is fresh new life. When I feel dry, Jesus is daily Living Water. When I feel stuck, Jesus is doing a new thing.” – Megan M. Evans #encouragment #weary #biblestudy
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As children of God, we can rest today in the promise of His renewal amidst our spent blooms and desert days. He’s doing a new thing! Perhaps the greatest reminder of our daily living hope is the Tender Shoot that came from the stump of Jesse, our promised Savior and King Jesus (Isaiah 11:1). When all hope felt lost for the world, God was already making a way for us.
The word “behold” keeps us in a posture of praise and ready for what only God can do. Jesus, make a way in my wilderness and rivers in my desert days today. Feelings and circumstances are not always evidence of reality. We can find daily assurance of God’s presence and perfect work in His Word and Promise, and the prophet Isaiah reminds us that the best is yet to come!
We are not forgotten or considered too far gone for growth and change. Daily, we can keep praying, hoping, and trusting Jesus. Lasting beauty begins when we surrender our hearts to His loving daily care. Today, let His rivers of Living Water wash over you and renew you from the inside out.
PRAYER
Father God, make a way in the wilderness of my heart today. Refresh my spent blooms and saturate my roots with your Living water. I choose to praise and thank you today. Behold, you are at work in me and creating lasting beauty from the inside out. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Enter our Book Giveaway for a signed copy of “Permission To Walk: A 40-Day Journey to Unhurried Peace” by Mega M. Evans.
I would love to give you a signed copy of “Permission To Walk: A 40-Day Journey to Unhurried Peace”
I think you will love this book, permission to walk, to unhurry your life, and rest in God’s perfect timing and peace.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR –
Megan Evans lives in Tennessee with her husband and their three children. She is an author and blogger with a heart for discipleship; Megan writes, speaks, and teaches women about enjoying God in each busy day. Visit her at UnhurryMyHeart.com and check out her newly released book, Permission To Walk: A 40-Day Journey to Unhurried Peace.
Links:
www.unhurrymyheart.com, https://www.instagram.com/megan.m_evans/, https://www.facebook.com/unhurrymyheart, Amazon link for Permission to Walk: A 40 Day Journey to Unhurried Peace by Megan Evans: https://a.co/d/bXLfZU3
Remember, you are Beautiful!
Beauty Is in the Eye of Our Beholder seeks to help women see themselves as God’s beautiful daughters. Some describe a faithful Christian as glowing. This spiritual glow from the Holy Spirit comes from the inside out, radiating our body, character, conversation, and conduct – our whole being.
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Deborah and Megan, thank you for this encouraging reminder that God is cultivating new life within us. And we can partner with Him in cultivating gratitude, rest, and peace.
Lisa, thank you for reading. I love what Megan writes here showing us how good our God is and how to unhurry our lives with Him.
Hi Lisa, thank you for reading and praising God with you for this new life in Christ we get to enjoy daily!–Megan Evans
Thank you both, Megan and Deborah, for this encouragement. “We get so focused on what is not there that we miss these tender shoots of hope springing forth.” So true. I’m so grateful for the Lord’s tender care and the way in which He brings His peace and hope. Blessings!
Joanne, so true and this has been coming up for me lately. I find so much comfort in how God tends to us. Thank you for reading.
Hi Joanne, thanks for reading! Yes me too! I’m so grateful for the Lord’s daily tender care–Megan Evans
Thank you for sharing this encouraging post on the blog. I love the beginning of this post, the “nature” example. It’s so relatable and beautiful. It drew me into your blog.
Sending love from the Netherlands.
Aritha ???
Aretha, Thank you for reading and your love from the Netherlands. I love Megan’s post too. It brings me so much comfort that God gives us His beauty even in the weary.
Thank you Aritha, I find that God has all kinds of teachable moments for us when we pause to savor His creation–Megan Evans
Deborah and Megan, I love the tender truths in these words. It is easy to focus on the past and what is spent and completely miss what God is doing in our present. Thanks for the reminder to look for God’s workings in our lives each day.
Jeanne, I love how Megan shows us in her devotional on seeing God’s new things. I can easily get caught up in the past but life is much more exciting living the way God intended.
Thank you Jeanne, it’s a reminder I need for myself every day –Megan Evans