Tag: surrender

when counting sheep doesn’t help you get the sleep you need

Karla Lees

Breathing in, breathing out.

In the quiet, I can hear my heart beat as my body is overcome with its need for rest as I lay down. Another coughing fit takes over, and I find myself desperate for my next fresh burst of air.

God, how I need You to intervene.

I am now so weary that unless You show up, I have no passion left to offer. I am sinking more and more into the depths of just get it done.

I want to serve You willingly everywhere I am. But to do so, I desperately need You…

  • Your strength in these weary bones.
  • Your energy to flow through my veins.
  • Your love to spill over in my heart.
  • Your voice, Your presence to captivate my senses.
  • Your rest which You promise Your Beloved, me.

So I lay myself down into Your promises of rest again today.

Come to Me all who are weary and weighed down with burdens. I will give you #rest. (Matthew 11:28)

God gives His beloved #rest. (Psalm 127:2)

Break this heart to fully surrender to what You have for me, the best of rest, deep in my soul.

Just let go let His love wrap around you and hold you close. Get lost in the surrender, breathe it in until your heart breaks then exhale. Exhale. – Plumb

And if You touch my body to help it to get to sleep as You do, this sheep would be most appreciative!

needing-sleep

rest is a weapon?

Karla Lees

Years ago, I learned how to connect with God in the quiet place within from Graham Cooke, a wonderfully kind prophetic teacher from the UK.

It changed me from a constantly stressed out young mom into a more peaceful woman able to rest in God despite the drama and sometimes trauma swirling around me.

I never really thought about that type of rest as a weapon before.

I inherently know that rest is good for me- does a body good, helps me focus and relax.

But a weapon?

This morning, as I looked up the word ‘rest’ on Google, I felt led to add Graham Cooke’s name into the search engine as well, and voila!

Rest is a weapon…the quote before this blog post.

Rest connects us to God and His Kingdom. As we hang out with Him, we start to see things through His eyes. Not just circumstances, situations and other people, but ourselves.

Resting before God helps us see, experience and come to know who we are in Him.

And when we walk out that reality, the rest we invested in finding it becomes a weapon.

Empowered by Holy Spirit, honed by Jesus, led by Abba.

Rest is the weapon you may be looking for to add to your arsenal for the kingdom.

Join me as we sit, rest, soak.

Sit in His presence.
Rest in His love.
Soak in His grace.
Rise with renewed purpose.

Rest is a weapon no one else can take from us. Only we can surrender it.

the song

Karla Lees

I love to sing.

There, I have confessed it in words, on paper, out there for all to read.

I won’t apologize for it.

Its not only been the result of years of training and practice, but it is in the very fiber of my inner most being. Intertwined with my emotions, my thoughts, my dreams and hopes, my voice.

As every singer knows, there are times when its just singing, and other moments when it feels like you are the most alive in the moment, and part of something so much bigger than yourself.

I find this especially true when I sing and lead worship, in small or big groups.

Plugging into where the Spirit leads and surrendering in that split second of a moment to allow my voice to express what He is putting on my heart is my tiny sliver of a glimpse of heaven.

I could just rest in singing nicely. But with every bit of me, i know that i know that for me, it is to be so much more.

Our pastor mentioned this past Sunday how Niagara Falls is a thing of beauty to those who visit it, but a source of power to those who live near it.

I don’t want to be a person of beauty for God, but a willing vessel for His power.

I recently stepped up after a period of time and felt I was to offer to sing, in front of almost complete strangers in an intimate setting, and surprised myself by having complete peace about it. I know God is leading me, and there is peace and confidence in following, even if I don’t yet get it.

The song is always found in the surrender.