On Saturday I was talking to the pastor in my home Church and he asked me how I was doing and I told him that we had been very busy for the last month. There really had not been a lot of free time to relax but that we were getting a lot done. He asked my what I was doing to rest and to restore myself. I had to admit that I had not been thinking much about those things because the opportunities had not presented themselves very often.
As I have been thinking about his question and the work we have been doing, I realized that we are in many ways like the school buildings. They need time set aside for repairs, repainting and thorough cleaning. Without these times they will get more dirty and fall into disrepair. They need to have focused attention on their needs if they are going to last for many decades. Without attention, they will not be able to be used for their intended purposes for very long. The will become dilapidated and unsafe. The rain, mold, dirt and bugs will begin take over.
I feel like I need to spend time recognizing these needs in my own life. Jesus promised that if we would come to Him, He would give us rest. In Ps 127:1+2 we see that our work is in vain unless God is protecting it and that He wants to be at the center of all so He an lead us into rest. In Ps 23 we read that the Lord is a shepherd that leads us, cares for us, and restores us. In Ps 91 we see that the Lord desires us to hide ourselves in Him and see His salvation, provision, protection and rest. I think I need to spend some time meditating on these passages and letting them lead me to the one who is rest for my soul.
I know a lot of people, myself included get busy and say they do not have time for this rest. We try to spend 10 minutes with God before we rush out to some activity then do not understand why we have no strength or energy. David knew that the secret was to have time for quiet rest, focused on God. He was the king of a nation with a lot of enemies. He had a large army and many family squabbles going on but he took time out of his schedule for retreats with the Lord. If David could do it, should we also not find a way to plan our days around building intimacy and drawing strength for Jesus.
I am not going to write a lot more but I want to share these verses with you and ask you are you rested? Do you have time for intimacy with Jesus this week? Are you hidden away in the secret place of the Most High? Or, Are you tired, running on fumes and barely surviving each days load?
My Refuge and My Fortress
Ps 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
No comments:
Post a Comment