I will nourish you.

“If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the Lord’s holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice — Then you shall delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” – Isaiah 58:13-14

I will nourish you. The Lord shares this promise if we do not follow our own ways but honor Him and His holy day. Nourishment: my soul longs for it. Lately, I’ve been feeling malnourished — spiritually, physically and mentally. I have not been honoring the Lord with my time or prayer. I have not been honoring the body He gave me with healthy food or exercise. I have not been nourishing my mind and have resulted to social media scrolling and other mindless activities.

My soul longs for nourishment, and that can only truly be found by turning to and leaning on God. No worldly things will fulfill it. He says if I turn away from following my own pursuits, I will find it. How truthful that has been in my life. Over and over again, I find Him in the stillness. I find Him after pursuing my own plans for far too long, then giving up and leaning on God. It is only then that I find peace.

Lord, help me to lean on you first, not when I give up. Before the hard times, during the hardships, through it all — not once my plans are no longer satisfying my needs. Lord, reveal to me your plans; give me the courage to cast my own aside and trust yours are far better than my malnourished soul could dream up. Give me the strength and reverence to sit with you in prayer daily and allow you to provide the nourishment I truly need. Lord, your malnourished child is hungry; I once again sit at your table.