Ryan's Ramblings

Refreshment

“Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19, NLT)

It’s one of my greatest joys to lead a weekly Bible study with a group of sharp, faith-filled young professionals. These guys are in their mid-twenties—walking with God and hungry to grow in their faith. We’re working our way through the book of Acts, and recently we came to the moment in chapter 3 when Peter and John encountered a man who had been crippled from birth. He was expecting coins from them—but what he got was healing.

It was a miracle, and a crowd gathered—full of questions.

Peter—never one to miss a moment—pointed straight to Jesus and said, “You handed Him over. You denied the Holy and Righteous One. You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead.”

The people hadn’t understood who Jesus really was—not then, but now they did. And Peter extended the invitation:

“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19, NLT).

That last line caught us.

One of the guys said, “I’ve heard of peace and joy. But I’ve never heard of… refreshment.”

Another nodded. “Yeah. What exactly is that?”

We all sat with it for a moment—curious, amazed, longing. We let it sink in. We knew that feeling—or maybe more honestly, we knew our need for it. Not just peace or joy, but something deeper—something we hadn’t had words for until now.

Refreshment. Not a break. Not a pause. But a real, soul-deep restoring. Like water on dry ground. Like catching your breath after a hard workout.

That Bible study conversation stayed with me. A few days later, still thinking about what refreshment really means, I bumped into this line in Jeremiah 45:5:

“I will give you your life as a reward wherever you go” (NLT).

That’s a promise spoken to the scribe Baruch, at a time of chaos, in a culture crumbling at the edges. God wasn’t promising ease. He was promising something better—Life. Real life. Whole life. A life that doesn’t rise and fall with the headlines, the markets, or the mood of the day.

And it hit me—that is refreshment. Not escape from trouble. Not the absence of struggle. But the presence of God in it all. When we surrender to Him—truly let go of control, fear, and our sin—we don’t just survive. We breathe again. We live—fully, freely… refreshed.

Hundreds of years after Jeremiah and Baruch, Jesus said,

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10, NIV)

Let that sink in today.

Peter made it clear to the crowd then, and to you and me now: Jesus, the One who was crucified and raised—the One who heals, forgives, and restores—is still inviting us to come, to repent, and to receive… refreshment.