Mary’s footsteps

I think I’ve begun to empathize with Martha’s side of the story more than ever lately.  I’ve discovered this nearly obsessive drive in myself to be productive, while often times all I need and all God wants from me is to sit at His feet and be.  But somehow it’s often harder to just sit in restless silence then to spend myself, already deplete of energy, on the Swazis I so dearly love.  I envy Mary, or Jon on my team who at times reminds me of her, who thrives just spending hours just being with Jesus.  I think if Mary lived today, her days would look somewhat similar to Jon Melo’s.  She would journal and pray, she would read God’s Word, she would play her guitar and worship her beloved Lord, not even noticing that this would last for hours, often every day.  She would be completely lost in her Lover’s presence.  I so want to be like her.  Why am I so restless?  I need to be patient, I need to be still; I need to wait for my Lord to come to my side and meet with me.  “Be still and know, that I am God..Be still and know, that I am…Be still and know…Be still…Be.”

 

A couple days ago I learned a song that perfectly reflected the desire and deep need of my heart right now.

 

“The more I seek you, the more I find you.

The more I find you, the more I love you.

I want to sit at your feet,

Drink from the cup in your hands,

Lean up against you and breathe,

Feel your heartbeat.

This love is so deep,

It’s more than I can stand,

I melt in your peace,

It’s overwhelming.”

 

~Kari Jobe, “The More I Seek You”

 

 

And these are some verses that reflect the heart I think Mary had, and that I yearn to have.

 

Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 40:1
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

Psalm 130:6
My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Isaiah 8:17
I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.

 

Isaiah 26:8
Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

Isaiah 30:18
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

 

Isaiah 64:4
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

(There are so many more incredible verses on waiting, but I don’t want to make this blog too long, so I’m just going through the Psalms and Isaiah.  But if you’re interested, or God’s trying to teach you about waiting patiently, too, just Bible Gateway “wait” like I did and look from Jeremiah on through Revelation. : ))