The Rest of God
“Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.” Psalm 116:7
Rest. Sometimes a whisper. Sometimes what sounds like a loud shout. No matter the volume, His voice comes – telling me to rest. Driving to church one day, I cried out to the Lord for the umpteenth time for forgiveness for unleashing my fury yet again on the dogs as I anxiously scrambled to get my zillion dog duties done to get to church on time. I was broken hearted over my sin, and that I am still so capable of it, devastated that I can still mistreat the dogs when I so desperately want to please the Lord and treat His Creation with LOVE. God answered my cries of repentance with His blessed forgiveness – and with a single-word answer in His strong and gentle voice. Rest.
He had given me a verse amid what some would call an anxiety attack as I sought frantically to get everything done, knowing I was ripe for my ungodly temper to unfurl at the dogs. “Be anxious for nothing…(Phil. 4:6)” I had been too anxious to comply, how pitiful. Now, with my repentant heart, I heard Him. Rest. Sadly, my rebuttal was ready. Equally ready was His merciful reply.
“How can I rest when I have so much to do?” I cried. He reminded me. By abiding in Him. No matter how much we have to do, we can rest – abide – dwell – take comfort – find hope, strength, peace, and endurance – in Him. Sometimes we need physical rest. Other times, He may not call us to physical rest. But still He calls us to rest – to lean back on His everlasting arms (Deut. 33:27) and His Word, to trust Him, to rest in His love and mercy, as we carry on. I wish I could say I have this rest thing down pat; I am just learning, needing constant reminders. How about you?