The Goodness of Holy Restlessness

"...to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone."—Oswald Chambers

There could be nothing really wrong, but deep down you feel something's still off. A restlessness that's not quite restlessness, yet nothing fully satisfies—not even a long-procastinated thing crossed off the "to do" list, or a favorite hiking spot, or even one more cup of really good coffee. Nothing on TV holds your attention (perhaps for good reason), no book on the shelf jumps out at you and says "read me!", and even most of the really good songs in your iTune library just seem to roll into one ear and out the other. You are not really bored or depressed, and yet you recognize the strange symptoms all too well because they keep occurring with more frequency—especially as the days and times grow more uncertain.

It may very well be that you are being afflicted, in a very good way, with what Chambers is talking about. To be "absolutely" and "entirely" all-in in this Walk is not a desire to escape reality but to dig in, really dig in, with deeper roots of knowing Christ and not just knowing information about Him, of loving Christ, of serving, and living to the full, and all with the kind of roots that will both withstand storms of bad headlines and the flood of challenges to what is True, as well as the supernatural kind of roots that will offer naturally supernatural nourishment to those on our daily path...

You are not crazy. You are not alone...

...In fact, it is exactly the timeless encouragement Jesus is giving to His Church through the apostle Paul ....

"May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self—indwelling your innermost being and personality—

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith.

And may you, having been deeply rooted and securely grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all God’s people the width and length and height and depth of His love—

fully experiencing that amazing, endless love; 

And that you may come to know practically, through personal experience the love of Christ which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience, that you may be filled up throughout your being to all the fullness of God so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives—completely filled and flooded with God Himself."

(Ephesians 3:16-19, Amplified)

As rain poured outside yesterday and drenched the New England landscape (again), I received a "hey, check this out" text from a good friend about our desperate need for the Holy Spirit in our day. He passed along a quote by Bill Johnson from Face to Face with God: "The outpouring of the Spirit really is the Bible's cure-all. It's not that there aren't things we are supposed to do in the natural; it's just that in the end we need more of Him than anything else. And He comes like rain—in heavenly downpours!"

I texted back: "So true. I'm feeling it. And personally, I want it be so much more than talk or a head nod of 'yes, I agree with that.'"

But how? This morning, this guiding light "just so happened" to emerge while randomly looking through an old journal entry...

"When you are drawn to a deeper walk with God, it is wise not to have an agenda. Sometimes, it's best to simply tell Him that you have come, and whatever His plan is for you, it is fine with you. Be flexible, hang on, and watch what He does."
—Steve Brown, Approaching God

I think it's just what Jesus would tell us, too. And in fact, He really did...

"Now to Him who is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think—infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams—according to His power that is at work within us,  to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen."

(Ephesians 3:20, Amplified)