Lean Fully
Resting fully, not partially—this is the soul’s true position in Christ.
📚 Devotional Credit
Days of Heaven on Earth by A.B. Simpson
📷 Photo Credit
Photo by Unsplash
There’s something intimate and transformative about leaning—not just emotionally, but spiritually—on the One who loves us beyond measure. Today’s devotional from A.B. Simpson reflects on the vivid imagery from Song of Solomon 8:5, a soul emerging from the wilderness with her full weight resting on her beloved. It reminds us that Jesus doesn't merely tolerate our dependence; He welcomes it as the evidence of our love.
A.B. Simpson shares a tender moment where a woman, sensing hesitation, asked her friend to lean hard—as a sign of real trust. That image becomes an invitation: Will we lean into Jesus with everything—our concerns, our schedules, our identity, our outcomes—without holding back? He is not only willing, but eager to carry us. He calls us to cast every care on Him, knowing He can bear what we cannot.
But there’s more: the devotional ties this leaning posture to a deeper nourishment. When John leaned on Jesus during the supper, he didn’t just rest—he feasted. To lean is to be near, and to be near is to be fed. This is where true satisfaction is found—not in striving, but in staying close enough to draw life from the very One who is our life.
📓 Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Thorough Scripture
Lean into Me. Not with one shoulder, not with caution. Lean fully—rest your full weight upon Me. There is no part of your life I will not bear. I am not offended by your need; I designed you to find rest in Me.
You don’t come to Me to prove yourself; you come to discover that I am your sufficiency. I feed you with My own life. You hunger, and I satisfy. You grow weary, and I carry you. But I do not wait for you to collapse in order to draw near—I long for you to stay near. Leaning is not weakness; it is the posture of trust, the language of love between us.
Rest, then, in who I am in you. Let your heart recline where John reclined. Let the wilderness behind you make the leaning sweeter. Let the burden of self-reliance fall. I am your Shepherd, your Beloved, your Resting Place. I make you lie down. I carry you. I sustain you. You are never meant to walk apart from Me.
Come—lean on Me in the noonday. Feed on Me in the quiet. I will be your rest in the heat and your joy in the shadows.
Scripture References:
Song of Solomon 8:5; 1 Peter 5:7; John 13:23; Psalm 23:2; Matthew 11:28–30; Isaiah 46:4; Isaiah 40:11; Psalm 55:22; Deuteronomy 33:27; Philippians 4:19; John 6:35; Colossians 3:4
🪞 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like sinking into a well-worn couch at the end of a long day—the kind that cradles your whole body and invites your muscles to exhale. You don’t perch on the edge wondering if it will hold; you drop your full weight into its welcome. That’s the kind of resting Jesus invites us into—total, trusting, unguarded.
🙏 Prayer of Confidence
Lord Jesus, I lean all the way in. I no longer try to balance my weight between Your grace and my effort. I rest fully in You, confident that You carry every burden I once bore alone. You are not only able but willing, not only strong but tender. Today, I thank You for being both my Rest and my Feast. You’ve already provided all I need—I simply receive, rest, and rejoice.