🌾DIP THE ROD IN THE HONEY TUESDAY🌾

🌾DIP THE ROD IN THE HONEY TUESDAY🌾

Breaking Bread at the Mustard Seed with Stacey

🍞Just a Little Daily Bread…🍞

🤍Before You Decide You Can’t Keep Going, Make Sure You Haven’t Been Trying To Run On Empty🤍

1 Samuel 14:27 ~

“But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.”

There’s a strange little moment tucked inside 1 Samuel 14.

Israel is in battle…

They’re fighting.

They’re weary.

They’re pushing forward.

And King Saul has made an oath that nobody is to eat until evening.

So these men are fighting a battle…

with nothing in the tank.

Then they enter the woods.

And Scripture says there was honey on the ground.

FOOD.

Right there.

Provision right in front of exhausted people.

But nobody touched it because they were afraid of Saul’s oath.

Except Jonathan hadn’t heard the command.

So Jonathan takes the rod in his hand…

dips the end of it into a honeycomb…

tastes the honey…

and Scripture records this tiny detail…

“His eyes were enlightened.”

I stopped right there.

Because sometimes we get so accustomed to pushing through that we start treating exhaustion like it’s a spiritual gift.

Keep going.

Keep serving.

Keep producing.

Keep helping.

Keep answering.

Keep carrying.

Keep showing up.

And if we’re running on fumes?

Well, we’ll just pray over the fumes.

But here’s what I want somebody to hear this Tuesday…

God did not create you to prove your faithfulness by running yourself completely empty! 🙌🏼

Jonathan hadn’t quit the battle.

He hadn’t abandoned his assignment.

He hadn’t thrown down his weapon and said…

“Y’all handle it. I’m going to Cracker Barrel.” Lol

He simply received nourishment in the middle of the battle!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼

And after he did?

His eyes brightened.

His strength was renewed.

He could see differently.

Ohhhh friend…

Sometimes what feels like…

“I can’t do this anymore…”

might actually mean…

“I can’t keep doing this the way I’ve been doing it.”

There’s a difference! 🙌🏼

Maybe you don’t need to abandon everything God has called you to.

Maybe you need to stop long enough to be replenished! 🙌🏼

Jesus Himself withdrew! 🙌🏼

Jesus ate.

Jesus slept.

Jesus sat down.

Jesus stepped away from crowds! 🙌🏼

So why have we convinced ourselves that constantly being available to everybody is holiness?

And I’m not only talking about physical rest.

Sometimes your soul needs honey! 🙌🏼

A conversation that doesn’t require anything from you.

Sitting outside without accomplishing a single thing.

Worship music playing while you make dinner.

Laughing until your stomach hurts.

Opening your Bible because you want to hear from God…not because you need something to post.

An afternoon when you don’t explain, fix, manage, produce or rescue anybody.

That isn’t laziness.

Sometimes…

that’s replenishment! 🙌🏼

And there’s another piece of this story that gets me…

Jonathan later says…

1 Samuel 14:29 ~

“See, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.”

Notice what he said…

A LITTLE.

He didn’t need the whole honeycomb.

He needed enough for the next part of the journey.

Somebody needs THAT today.

Because maybe you’re waiting for a whole vacation.

A completely empty calendar.

A different season.

Everybody else’s problems to disappear.

Three uninterrupted days and perhaps a small cabin where nobody knows your name. Lol

And God may be showing you…

There’s a little honey available TODAY.

Ten quiet minutes.

One chapter.

One walk.

One cup of coffee while it’s actually still hot.

One worship song.

One good conversation.

One boundary.

One afternoon nap without apologizing for it.

One moment when you stop carrying everybody else’s basket.

Don’t despise the little honey.

It may be exactly what helps you see clearly enough to keep going.

And this part matters…

The honey wasn’t the destination! 🙌🏼

Jonathan didn’t build a house beside the honeycomb and retire from battle. lol

He received what he needed…

and kept moving.

That’s the difference between resting and quitting.

Rest says…

“I’m going to receive what I need so I can faithfully continue.”

Quitting says…

“I’m done with the assignment.”

Those aren’t the same thing.

🧺Bread Basket🧺

Ask yourself…

Where have I been demanding more from myself without allowing myself to be replenished?

And then…

What is some “little honey” God has already placed within reach that I’ve been too busy to receive?

Because you don’t get bonus points for arriving at the end of your assignment completely hollow.

Sometimes faithfulness looks like fighting.

Sometimes faithfulness looks like stopping.

And sometimes faithfulness looks like dipping the rod in the honey.

Jesus, forgive me for the times I’ve confused exhaustion with faithfulness. Teach me when to press forward and when to receive the rest and refreshment You provide. Open my eyes to the little gifts You’ve placed along the way. Help me care for what You’ve entrusted to me… including myself… so that I can serve from a place of fullness instead of constantly pouring from empty. Thank You for meeting me in the battle and providing what I need along the journey. In Jesus’ name, Amen! 🤍

So Today…

before you announce that you’re DONE…

before you convince yourself you’re failing…

before you decide you just can’t carry another thing…

look around.

There may be honey in the woods.

Dip the rod.

Taste a little.

Let your eyes brighten.

And then…

pick that rod back up and keep walking.

You might not need a different assignment.

You might just need a little honey for the one you’re already carrying. 💚

#DipTheRodInTheHoney #TuesdayDevotion

#DontQuitYet #GodWillRefreshYou #StrengthForTheJourney #RunningOnEmpty

#RestInGod #FaithOverExhaustion #DailyBread #ChristianEncouragement #WomenOfFaith #JesusChangesEverything #BreakingBreadAtTheMustardSeed

#MustardSeedFaith

#WithStacey