As Good Friday draws near, my soul cries out for time with my Savior.
His disciples may have had no idea what was going to happen after they shared that final Passover meal with Jesus, but I know exactly where this story is going.
I know what is still to come. The garden. The soldiers. The trial. The cross.
And because I know, I feel desperate to just be with Him.
That's all He asked of His closest friends before He surrendered to the cross-- Stay here with me... (Matthew 6:28)
No doubt, Christ longed for the comfort as He prepared for His darkest hour. But could it be that His request in the garden of Gethsemane was as much for that straggly crew of disciples as it was for our suffering Servant?
Did Jesus realize, even as He wrestled with His own anguish, that what His friends needed most in that calm before the storm was just to be. To be with Him.
Just as Christ knew what waited for Him in the dark hours to come, He also knew what lie ahead for His treasured ones. He knew the rooster would crow and Peter would quake. That John would stand at the foot of the cross and Thomas would doubt. He knew that while He was bound by nails, His children would be bound by fear.
And so He invited them to linger. Stay here with me...
Two thousand years later, He invites us to do the same. Won't you join me at His feet?
Linger
Come, Jesus whispers, Come linger near.
Settle your mind. Lend a tuned ear.
Trade your yoke for mine and see
My burden is light. My mercy is free.
My glorious riches are yours for the taking
Plans for your joy have been long in the making.
Empty your hands so you can receive
More than your mind can begin to conceive.
Seek me first; then drink with great pleasure
From the King’s cup poured out beyond measure.
Come, Jesus beckons. You’ve blessings to claim.
Turn from your doubt. Renounce all your shame.
Leave all the doing and striving to me.
Sit at my feet and dare just to be.
And there in my shadow, you’ll find victory
As your shackles are loosed and your heart is set free.
-Alicia Bruxvoort
The Overflow: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest
