Time for a Reboot

Have you ever been working on your computer when things suddenly froze up? That meant you needed to refresh your screen. And there are times when you even need to reboot to get everything working again.

Sometimes we need a reboot in our lives as Christians too. We need a refresh because we’re feeling down and depressed. That is not a twenty-first century phenomena, by the way. The psalmist wrote, “My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!” (Psalm 42:4 NLT).

Then he wrote, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (verses 5–6 NLT).

I love how the psalmist shifted gears. He went from asking an honest question to effectively preaching to himself. I have found myself doing that at times. When I’ve felt down, I’ve quoted Scripture to myself, sometimes even out loud.

A few verses earlier, the psalmist said, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God” (Psalm 42:1–2 NLT). In other words, he needed some spiritual refreshment.

Do you need spiritual refreshment today?

Ephesians 5:18–19 says, “Be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.” In the original language, that’s a command, not a suggestion. Also, the implication is that it’s continuous.

Therefore, God is commanding us to be filled with the Holy Spirit every day, and that brings refreshment into our lives. As Acts 3:20 reminds us, “Times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord” (NLT).