REST! Is it really a lost commodity in our culture? In our hurried, never-sitting-still-society-for-fear-of-being-run-over-by-society, you would think it is. That speaks of physical rest, but what of the rest of one’s soul? A time when one can enjoy a respite of peace and quiet on the inside instead of always feeling like their world is in turmoil.
I think many of us can really relate to that need for rest. Sometimes, we wish we could do like Jesus and stand before the storm and say, “Peace, be still,” and literally make every wave of adversity shut its mouth! I know you want to. I do, too! It just becomes too much to deal with at times, and the need for space to breathe, to come out from under all this mess, becomes an overwhelming factor.
God bless you if you can’t relate to what I am saying here. For most of us, the challenge of dealing with daily schedules, mess, and problems leaves us feeling totally surrounded. As if, no matter what direction we turn, there is something there to prevent us from really enjoying that rest.
“And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest,”
Psalm 55:6
Oh, but if I had two wings! I would fly! The idea of rising above every problem and adverse circumstance is very tantalizing. Right there, I form a mental picture of myself soaring. Below me is everything that tries to come against me. All those problems and schedules are trying to reach up and grab hold of me, but they can’t! I have risen too high for them. I have learned how to fly above it all!
The problem with that is that it is a fantasy. Oh, that it was real. While we are living on this side of glory, we are always going to have something to deal with, but that still doesn’t mean we can’t fly. Isaiah 40:31 emphatically declares, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles . . .” God never promised to remove every problem from our lives but, what He did say, is that He will renew the strength of those who turn to Him in the midst of it all.
God is strong in power, and there is none like Him (Isaiah 40:25-26). We recognize today that though I may not have suddenly sprouted two wings out of my back, when I rely on God’s power, it is as if I am already soaring! And, that my friends, is real rest! It is a confidence that fills my heart and lets me know that I don’t have to feel beaten down and worn out. God’s got this! He sees what I am going through. Psalms 5:11-12 says, “Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” I may not have two physical wings on the outside, but on the inside, I’m flying higher than it all. Why? Because though it may seem at times that I am totally surrounded, I serve the Lord God Almighty who is able to “compass” me “as with a shield.” Therefore, today, I can fly!
Word For Life Says... 