Our household recently experienced an illness that passed through our entire home and it took about two weeks to recover from it. In that time frame, try as I might to get up and live life like I wasn’t put out, I had to succumb sometimes to just lying in bed. While to some that sounds like a pleasant break, I was truly struggling with it. I wanted to be up and active.
In that time frame, the muscles in my legs and arms atrophied a bit. I felt weak some days and had cramps in my calves and biceps. I also was short of breath when I would go out and walk and felt like I had been in bed for months. It doesn’t take long for my body to get weak without constant movement.
Spiritually speaking, this also happens to my heart and soul when I get too busy and forget to spend time with Jesus. My spiritual muscles and memory seem to suffer from atrophy at times. I forget the promises from His Word or the faithfulness of God. There’s more tension in my life and anxiety and stress. Just like getting back into physical shape, my heart needs daily recurring restoration as well.
What could be atrophying in your life right now? Have you forgotten that the Lord fights your battles, are you not wanting to surrender and just take a rest and allow Him to do the healing in your circumstances?
How Long, O Lord? To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
Psalm 13:1-6
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.