One fall years ago, we visited friends in North Carolina during peak leaf season. At the time, Steve and I lived in Florida. It had been years since we’d enjoyed autumn leaves.
The day after our arrival, plans included a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway to take in all the festive foliage of: birch (yellow), dogwood (deep red), oak (russet to maroon), red maple (from yellow to maroon), sassafras (orange), and more.
But our much-anticipated excursion had to be postponed due to fog and rain.
On Day Three we finally ventured forth, and surveyed mountains transformed. Dust had been washed away, sunlight reflected from gleaming leaves, and the vibrant colors took our breath away.
Sometimes the dust of concern, discontentment, frustration and more can accumulate in my spirit, clouding the colors of joy and awareness of God’s presence. Life loses its luster.
My eyes miss his blessings, my ears miss his words, my heart misses moments of intimacy with him.
What then? Is there refreshing rain for the soul? Oh yes!
God himself renews. All we have to do is ask [1], perhaps with such a prayer as this:
Restore my EYES, Father. May the tears of repentance clear my vision to see more clearly the beauty of your perfections.
And with an enhanced view of you, I’ll be able to view all other things more clearly [2]–like what you want to show me instead of what I want to see.
Refresh my MOUTH, O God. May I be quick to share gracious words with others as well as appreciation and songs of praise to you for your marvelous deeds.
King Solomon wrote, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Keep me mindful of this power, to use my words as refreshing balm for others, for my own spirit, and to celebrate you also [3].
Renew my EARS, O Lord—to be attentive to your gentle whisper within. May I heed your instruction as you train me in the delight of right-doing, and lead me ever deeper into the abundant life you provide.
Tune my ears to hear your words of inspiration, cheering me on [4].
Restore my MIND, Father—my understanding, thoughts, and intentions. The things I think are the things that impact my soul.
May I meditate on all the wonders of your attributes and think Christ-honoring thoughts, becoming more Christ-like as a result [5].
Refresh my HEART, O Lord—my motivations, dreams, and desires. I want my heart to align with yours because I know that’s the first step toward fulfilling purpose and satisfaction in life.
Turn my heart, I pray, from what I’d like to have happen, to who you’d have me become—a reflection of your image. That’s where contentment lies [6].
Renew my SPIRIT, O God—my faith, passions, and confidence. May I navigate the challenges of this day with your strength pulsing through my spirit.
Remind me: when negativity or frustration begin to rise, you are my God of help to quell such emotions.
When setbacks occur, you are my God of guidance to show me the way forward, and when disappointments come, you are my God of hope who brings good out of every situation [7].
I praise you, Father, that I can rely upon you to wash away the grime of discouragement, listlessness, and aggravation.
Because of your compassionate love and with your omnipotent power you will restore, refresh, and renew my inner self—just as you have promised.
Begin this moment, I pray.
Restore my eyes, to see more clearly.
Refresh my mouth, to speak gratitude, grace, and praise.
Renew my ears to listen well (and then obey).
Restore my mind to think Christ-honoring thoughts.
Refresh my heart to align my desires with yours.
Renew my spirit to navigate this day with your strength.
P.S. Try renewing your spirit with “Thirty Days of Praise,” offered below (as part of the newsletter).
[1] Psalm 51:10b
[2] Psalm 119:15; 50:2. Last statement based on Selwyn Hughes, Every Day Light, Day 1.
[3] Psalm 98:1; Proverbs 16:24
[4] Proverbs 2:1-5; 1 Kings 19:11-13; John 10:10
[5] Hannah Whitall Smith, quoted in Values for Life, 256; Psalm 143:5; Romans 12:1-2
[6] 2 Corinthians 3:18
[7] Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 32:8; Romans 15:13
Image credits: http://www.pickpik.com; freerangestock.com (JJ Skys the Limit); http://www.canva.com; http://www.pxfuel.com; http://www.pickpik.com; http://www.canva.com; http://www.pexels.com (Furkan Idrizi).
Have you signed up for the monthly newsletter? You can do so below.
STILL AVAILABLE: “Thirty Days of Praise”–scriptures and question-prompts to draw our hearts and minds toward the joy of celebrating God.
Scroll to the end of the newsletter to find this resource. And thank you in advance for becoming a subscriber!
Discover more from From the Inside Out
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
From the Inside Out 
What a comprehensive renewal and refreshment you’ve invited us to experience, Nancy! TT
[image: –Join me at Living Our Days]
Join me at Living Our Days https://michelemorin.net “The way we live our days is, of course, the way we live our lives.” (Annie Dillard)https://linktr.ee/MicheleDMorin
I pray you find it meaningful, my friend!
Can’t seem to find the link or info here on the 30 Days of Praise. I will double check my email as I am on the mailing list.
I’m sorry for the confusion, Shauna. My “P.S.” didn’t include enough info. The “Thirty Days of Praise,” are part of this month’s newsletter. (See the red text above, at the end of the post.) If you subscribe to the letter, you can access the Days of Praise. Thank you for asking so I could make the invitation clearer!
Yes, yes, yes, 🙌🏽 refresh my mouth, restore my eyes, restore my mind. Love it 🥰
Thank you, Brenda. Praise God for his faithfulness to bring refreshment and restoration–as needed!
I have a wonderful memory of driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains as a young woman and listening to worship music. Thanks for the reminder of that! And thank you for the beautiful prayer. I’ll be pausing to pray through it again after sending this.
Mountains do foster worship, don’t they? Who but the Lord of the universe could engineer ridge after ridge stretching for hundreds of miles, and then cover them with numerous varieties of trees to achieve that kaleidoscope of color each fall? / I’m so glad you found the prayer meaningful, Amy. Praise God!
After this week of tragedy and deep sadness, I know I need God’s restoration in every aspect of my being, Nancy. This post is absolutely timely and reminds us that no matter what we are going through, God is in control and we need to submit to and obey His faithful will for our lives. May we, like Charlie Kirk, be brave and bold for Jesus!
Amen, my friend. My heart aches for the many family members and friends of innocent victims of violence recently. It must break God’s heart also to see such hatred and evil unleashed. Yes, may we brave and bold for Jesus like Charlie Kirk!
We have had a season of national tragedy and we need this message of refreshment both on a national and a personal level. Beautiful picture of the refreshing God offers.
Thank you, Linda. As I said to Martha above, my heart aches for the many family members and friends of innocent victims of violence recently. Praise God he comes alongside when our hearts ache, to offer his comfort and reassurance!
yes yes there is something about fall, the change of the seasons that renews the energy, restarts the juices and gives us a new start, isn’t there? This is such a lovely piece, Nancy with great photos. Very peaceful.
Thank you, Jean. Sometimes God brings renewal by way of activity, sometimes by quiet. I’m so glad you experienced peace here!
Your all-encompassing prayer touches on many important petitions we can include when conversing with our God. Every one is essential. Thank you, Nancy, for sharing this. 🙂
You’re so welcome, Nancy. Praise God for his inspiration! These categories of renewal came to me (from the Spirit, I’m sure!) at least several weeks ago. THIS was the week I found myself fleshing them out. In light of recent, national events, many of us sense the need of spiritual refreshment.
Being restored, refreshed, and renewed are actions we can embrace because of God’s love for us. I love the illustration of the rain washing away the dust, just like His truth refreshes our souls. What’s amusing is that, after a while, you become accustomed to the dust covering things, not wanting to take the time or trouble to remove it. I never want to be that unobservant about my faith!
Amen, Dayle. Thank you for that insight!
Lovely! Amen, Nancy!
Thank you, Dana. Praise God for his inspiration!
A very refreshing post, Nancy. It reminded me of all that Christ has provided us with to enjoy and enhance our walk with Him. It’s been a week of tears; first that Ukrainian girl getting killed and then the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Your post helped me shake off the grime of this week of grief; indeed that breath of fresh air that is needed to go forward as we continue to sow the seeds so that (as Charlie Kirk said) ‘we can make Heaven crowded’. It should be our utmost concern while we still tread this earth.
Amen, my friend. The devil seems to be perpetrating evil more vehemently than ever, although since Paul’s day, “evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). BUT! Already we see great positive impact from Charlie’s death as millions of new followers have joined Turning Point. No doubt among them are those who recognize the truth of what he said and stood for, and have decided to become Jesus followers themselves. Charlie’s legacy will surely have a deep and far-reaching impact for God’s kingdom. I pray for Charlie’s family, friends, and close associates, for comfort, strength, and vision for going forward. May we all draw determination and courage from his example and be Christ-like in what we do and say.
The colors are amazing, and your prayer post is inspiring.
Thank you, Mary. As always I have to praise God for his inspiration. Maybe you experience this as well: the rough draft almost always starts out absolutely horrible, and then something happens and the pieces begin to fit and one idea leads to a better idea, etc. God helps me through the process, step by step!
This is a wonderful and uplifting post! It is God who renews us, and it is God who brings us joy. Your photos are amazing and you capture the beauty of God’s creation in Autumn so well.
Thank you, Linda. I’m so glad you found this post to be uplifting. Praise God for his inspiration!
Down here in the South, the leaves are on the verge of turning and then falling. It’s the annual tease of “just when I thought I was done with the season’s yard work”. With your post, I can inject a lot more meaning into something I’ve always perceived as a mere chore.
Late summer and early fall tend to be dry here, so the foliage can become dusty. We can meditate on refreshment for our souls as the first rains come and refresh the landscape!
‘May the tears of repentance clear my vision to see more clearly the beauty of your perfections.’
Amen, Nancy. Such a soul-stirring prayer. So very much needed each day.
Thank you, Linda. As always, praise God for his inspiration!