Come to Me by Susan Barclay

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” says the Lord, “and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

This seems to be God’s message for me this year as I seek to centre and focus on Him: Come to me, learn who I am, and find rest.

The scripture writing plan I followed for January centred on God with me; I am never alone. What a wonderful reminder to begin a new year. As a result of my reading, a key verse soon revealed itself: 

“Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth. My health may fail and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever” (Psalm 73:25-26).

God is my strength. When I think of His love for me, how can I not be encouraged? Consider this: 

“He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). 

Wow. Those words give life. His Word gives refreshment (Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 55:11).


I also find refreshment outdoors. When I go for a walk and take in the beauty of nature, I inhale deeply, my lungs fill up with air, and I feel that I can breathe again. The feeling of things closing in on me, or even just the stuffiness of the house, vanishes. I see God’s handiwork and am assured that the universe and planet Earth are not some random product that just happened to come together by accident. Our world is detailed, it’s ordered. God has a plan and a purpose for it, and He has a plan and a purpose for me. My story might be messy but God is weaving something beautiful with its strands.

Often I use my walking time to pray aloud. In the old days, neighbours might have wondered about the “crazy lady, talking to herself”—not so much today with our modern Bluetooth technology! They just don’t know that I’m communicating with the Lord, sharing my heart with Him and hearing His heart for me. Prayer is a pause that refreshes. Like reading the Bible, it’s a form of meditation, even if I’m not quiet about it!

Sometimes, though, God knows I need others. He’s been good in bringing godly people alongside me, people who pour into my life instead of draining me dry. Time spent with them is like drinking from a fountain. Being able to talk together about spiritual things from a common perspective is a blessing. Our tanks get filled with living water and the knowledge that our journey is communal. We are all waiting on the Lord with hope and expectation for answers to prayer and for the day He will make all things right.

Finally, I can’t imagine my life without music for my soul. Just as we open worship services with music, my day starts best when I begin with singing or listening to songs that centre on the Lord. Last month I mentioned several that came to mind as I considered my word of the year, but over the past few weeks, a couple more have really taken hold in my heart. I leave you with them and invite you to use them in your own personal refreshing today as you Come to Him.

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You can find out more about Susan Barclay's writing at www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

A Focused Year by Susan Barclay

Although it's been a while since I've "done" a word for the year, when I was challenged to do so  for 2020, God quickly presented me with two possibilities: "Centre" and "Ready". I've opted for the former, figuring that if I centre my life and thoughts on Christ, I will also be ready for whatever comes my way.

As I began to meditate on the word centre, I thought it would be helpful to make a list of songs and scriptures I could use in my daily listening and reading. While this is certainly not a comprehensive list, these are some that came to mind, in no particular order:

Songs

• Jesus, Be the Centre
• How Great Thou Art
• How Great is Our God
• More Precious than Silver
• There is None Like You
• Awesome God
• What a Beautiful Name

Scriptures 

1  Corinthians 13:4-8a (because if God is love, I should centre on that fundamental quality of His).

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

2 Corinthians 4:18  

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Hebrews 3:1

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.

 Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

I also thought about the different areas of my life and how I might  centre each of them around the Lord in a way that pleases Him. For example:

Family - I already pray for family members and strive to serve them well, but I can work on serving (making meals, doing laundry, cleaning and picking up after them) without complaint.

Friends - Continue to pray for needs and requests, but commit to freeing up more time to spend with them (sharing a meal, getting together for games or worship and prayer).

Church - Continue to act as our life group prayer coordinator and as a care meal team leader. Maybe take a class through our church's learning centre or see if there's a way to support an ethnic church that meets in our building.

Writing - Keep my word of the year in mind as I contemplate blog posts and personal experience stories. Try to write a devotional every day (or at least once a week).

Work -  Centre on Colossians 3:23-24, which says

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Online -  Continue leading an online prayer group and actively participate in a couple of Christian social media groups. Take advantage of learning opportunities, watching video teaching on Right Now Media.

Personal - Run a book club that focuses on Christian work. Encourage conversations. Practice scripture-writing and other spiritual disciplines. 

These are just some initial thoughts. I welcome your suggestions and ideas!

By the way, a lot of people have been joking that their vision will be perfect in 2020. Perhaps vision is their word for the year. I am totally okay with that, and leave you with this song, which is also an excellent one for centre. May each of us focus on the One who is our life.

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You can find out more about Susan Barclay's writing at www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com