Skip to main content

My Soul Finds Rest in God Alone

                January can be tough.  It is cold and dark.  Christmas is over and, for some, the credit card bills are arriving.  We stay home more and socialize less.  It is easy to think, “I need a break!”
                In addition to that, regardless of the time of year, some people are just overloaded.   Unable or unwilling to say “no”, they end up taking on too many responsibilities and do not have enough time to themselves.  On the other hand, some are bored to death!  There is so little going on in their lives that they become detached and depressed.  Most of us find ourselves somewhere between those two extremes. 
                All of this leaves us chasing after answers which we hope will make our lives better and happier. That is good!  I am all for evaluating and making necessary changes. 
                However, before all of that, consider a truth that David understood.  His answer does not preclude making other changes, but it does come before all the rest of them.  This is not a theoretical idea.  Rather, it is born from David’s own, very real, experience with stress and trouble.   His answer is found in Psalm 62.
                “My soul finds rest in God alone” (verse 1a).  Note the word “alone”.  Temporary relief can be found in many places, but true peace is found only in God.
                “My salvation comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will never be shaken” (verses 1b-2).  A fortress is only necessary if you are under attack.  David was and he outlines what that looks and feels like in the next few verses (3-4). 
                Then he reminds himself, “My soul finds rest in God alone!” (Verse 5).  His enemies are real and discouraging (verses 9-10), but he also realizes that they are “but a breath”.  Our troubles can look big, but in the long run, they do not last. 
                He ends by stating two things that he knows for sure: (a) God is strong and (b) God is loving (verses 11-12).  Those two facts change everything. 
                Struggles come, but, when we have the proper base, they do not have to defeat us.
                “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world!” (1 John 4:4)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Consider This: Who Needs Worship?

  Why does God need our worship? The events of Matthew 14 provide at least one answer.   This chapter starts with the beheading of John the Baptist (verses 1-12). This is the first in a series of events that indicate things are about to become much more difficult for the believers. Next, the scene shifts to a crowd gathered on a hillside in Galilee. After listening to Jesus teach all day, the apostles realized that these people had nothing to eat. They brought the problem to Jesus. He took a child’s lunch and fed the entire group of five thousand men plus women and children. Afterwards, they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers (verses 13-21).   Then Jesus told them to get in a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee. As they went, a storm arose, and the apostles were scared. They struggled along until Jesus came to them walking on the water. Peter tried walking on the water too and sank. After Jesus rescued Peter, they got into the boat, and the storm immediately s...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Spiritual Makeover (1 Peter 1:13-16)

 Three responses to the new life God has given us.  https://youtu.be/FmqX5-3jOKc  
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Something to Hold On To

      If you have never stopped to see the Swinging Bridge in Souris, Manitoba, you should add it to your list of things to do. I like it. Others do not. It feels wobbly. It bounces up and down. I have seen people in the middle of the bridge holding on and screaming because it feels too unstable. Of course, there is nothing to fear. The bridge has huge anchors at each end and is secured by steel cables, but sometimes, our feelings make us forget the facts. Peter knows that his readers are about to face some scary situations. He does not want their feelings to obscure everything else, so he outlines three truths they need to remember. First, their hope is greater than their troubles. “For a little while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold… may be proved genuine and result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7). Not...
Post a Comment
Read more