Yesterday, I posted that I was going to SOAP Psalm 127:1&2, and I hope to write about that by the end of this post… for now, though, I want to tell you that God is commanding me to rest. How do I know that? Well, I’ve felt it. I feel tired, and I know that when I feel tired, I am less capable of dealing with slights and comments and even other people’s issues (not real life problems, but issues, like power plays and insecurities and other personal problems which hurt people use to hurt people). In ministry, that isn’t really helpful. Being tired and thus easily tempted by Satan is not a good thing when you are responsible to God for fieldwork. It’s like running a combine while drunk. Can you imagine?? No bueno. Also, being tired makes me get sidetracked very easily, can you tell? God is commanding me to rest and I know it because I feel it, I am starting to suffer afflictions like a sinus infection and other malaise. I hear Him calling me to rest. It’s like when you hear your mom calling you for supper after a long day of summer play; when your belly is empty and you’re parched; she calls you, just in time to replenish. God is commanding me to rest, and He is reinforcing it by Scripture and in my quiet time. I know that one of the ways God confirms things to me is through others words. Often, it is through my devotional time. There are days that I skim my devotional, I look at the topic and sometimes decide that it doesn’t apply to me, or think to myself, “I’ll read it later”, and with true good intentions, I close the email or book and walk away, only to realize later, that God was trying to speak to me. Today, I looked at the title, and heard God say, “Hello…? Are you there? I’m talking to you girl!”
Today’s title was, “No Time For Rest”. Yep. Sure is talking to me.
So today, I will rest. I will sleep. I will restore and recover the small amount of time I have in between things to do. I will cook supper in the crock pot and I will get as much done while I’m waiting for the next appointment and the next thing to do so that when the time comes to rest, I’ll have no excuses.
Scripture:
Psalm 127: 1&2:
“1.Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. 2.It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” **
Observation:
If God doesn’t design and do the work, then what I’m doing isn’t worth anything. If God isn’t providing the direction and protection, then I’m not going to be secure. What good comes from me to work so hard that I’m exhausted, doing things because I’m worried about providing for myself when God has already given me everything I need to get the farthest I can ever get in this world? No good. God doesn’t want me to work myself into exhaustion. He wants me to rest. He commanded it. Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, he said in Exodus 20 when he gave us the commandments. He said to work 6 days and to rest on the 7th. He even set the example.
Application:
Rest. Shut the techno stuff off. Shut the world out. Shut your eyes. Shut your mind down. Rest. Allow nothing to penetrate the walls of your home, your sanctuary. Keep your sacred place personal, private, comfy and cozy. Don’t get distracted by guilt and irrational beliefs from society that do not concern you. Remember your Eternal Perspective. Being busy is temporal. Stop it. You were called to more than that. Get rest. Then pray. When God tells you what to do, then you can do it. Otherwise, you’re just operating in your own power, and that is ineffective and meager. You are called to more than that. Stop listening to what the world says. You are not going to “win” anything by doing anything.
Prayer:
God, help me to shut the stuff off today, that I might utilize my time to rest. Let me not be distracted by “one more thing”. Let me see the clock and know that it’s time to rest. Praise you God, for commanding me to rest. For making me to lie down in green pastures. For caring for me in such a way. I love that you know me so well. I love that you know every hair on my head and how messy they all are. Praise you, God, and thank you for speaking directly to me. I ask you to help me to submit and obey, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
**Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright (C) 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All Rights Reserved.**
Momma Rich's 