Good morning. Finding a time and place to rest. From time to time that sentence represents an important goal of life. Because, from time to time, we all need the opportunity to rest. I am not suggesting a good place for a night’s sleep, I am suggesting that in the midst of the busyness of life as we know it there are times when we need a break. There are times when we desperately need relief, times when our very soul needs to rest.
In last Sunday’s sermon message, I talked about David, before he was recognized as king, living each day in exhaustion. Day by day he was being hunted by an enemy who wanted to take his life, and the constant threat wore David down to a place of desperate need. But David learned to sing to the Lord and express his need, and like prayers being answered, his songs found the heart of God. David found that in communion with God he could find the rest that otherwise escaped him. We read in Psalm 62:1-2
Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
With verses 3-4 David sings of those who are chasing him, those who want nothing more than seeing him dead. But in verses 5-8 he returns to his song of praise to the God who gives him rest:
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Verse eight shares with us wonderful advice: that we trust in Him, pour our hearts out to Him, and recognize Him as source of the refuge we seek.
When next you feel overwhelmed, lift up your prayer to our Father in heaven who loves you, asking Him for the peace and the rest you crave. He doesn’t disappoint.
Vern