The End Of Rest?

March 31st already! Is this the end of rest? Not hardly. His rest was meant to be for His children, to settle in and be in His peace, John 14:27. It is a place of rest let the weary rest here. They refused in Isaiah, but we won’t in Jesus.

Jesus offered us rest in Matthew 11:28, and I know I have been weary, heavy laden and in well doing, even though we are not to be. There have been attempts to wear down and out the saints of God, which you are as a believer, whether you think so or not.

So, we have learned a lot about rest. I hope you have rested, I know I have, and I am going to continue to, and I hope you will as well. Please go back and reread posts and verses if necessary, not just mine but there are other resources and better still, open that Bible and rest.

I had the concept in my heart years ago, at least thirty. And how I never quite grasped it or it was not taught as well, or stolen from me, I can’t be sure of just when and how, though the Lord has shown me some times in reflecting that I just let circumstances and overdoing it, even trying to serve Him drain me of rest and His peace, I am being still now, He fights for me. Exodus 14:14, Psalm 46:10, the battle is His and that releases me from the constant battlefield of the mind.

God rested after creation, Jesus rested after the cross, we are to receive Him and His peace is a gift, but we have to choose it and to remain in it, in Him and His words and promises. It is perpetual, eternal, a frame of mind, a state of grace. No, it is not just natural rest, it is spiritual, supernatural rest. Even sleep won’t always refresh you, faith, confidence in His love and protection will. It will restore, refresh and replenish your joy.

So, is this the end of rest? Not a chance. His rest is eternal, and yes, it is possible to rest in peace, and live life more abundantly. John 10:10. God chose to rest in Zion, and He wants to rest in you as you rest in Him, God bless and keep resting.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened ( heavy laden ) , and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. Psalm 116:7

This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. Psalm 132:14 God on Zion.

Ivanovgood/ public domain

Beauty Rest

Rest is a beautiful gift from God, His rest is even better. Beauty sleep is not just a myth, but a believer’s beauty comes from with n. The beauty of His sacrifice makes us beautiful as we carry His Spirit in our temples, our bodies,

Life, love, healing, rest and His peace are within us, there are miracles waiting to happen, so often we are not resting, and not just natural sleep, but the sleep of the beloved. Psalm 127:2, now that is a verse that we should keep close to our hearts, guarding them and better still, letting Him guard it, will also add hours to our beauty rest.

Psalm 103 is another verse that comes to mind, He loads us with benefits and renews our youth. I will turn sixty in December but I am forever young in Him, I like to think I am still thirty or so. I have not always felt like it, been through tremendous physical pain, heartache, and still I marvel and am in awe at His amazing love and grace. He really took my place and I carry a risen savior in my heart.

Isaiah 53 proves it, bears it out, His love and sacrifice, He poured out His every breath and very soul for me and His punishment is my peace. He completes me and is my joy, He is giving and had given me beauty for ashes.

Natural beauty does not last forever but His beauty does and never fades, He will make you the beautiful soul He created you to be. Let’s look at some verses that shows the beauty of Christ.

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 29:2

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth! Psalm 96:9

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31

Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar. Isaiah 33:17

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3:3

And finally Jesus, even what He suffered for us could not make Him unlovely, though people turned away, what He sacrificed was a gift and beautiful.

His mouth is most sweet, Yes, He is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, And this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem! Song of Solomon 5:16

He speaks peace in all languages, to all who would believe, He is altogether lovely. And is our beloved Jesus.

Discipline And Rest

Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul. Proverbs 29:17, it goes for daughters too.

There are a lot of ideas on parenting, some are better than others, but you will not have near the joy from your children if you are not able to discipline them properly.  While Psalm 13:24 says not to spare the rod, comparing it to hating your child, and love being diligent, there is also the verse 26:3, that the rod is for the fool. So let’s talk about that.

I was raised in a day that people spanked their children, and I never saw it hurt them. However, I have seen too many children, the victims of mental, physical, and verbal abuse as well. Parents should never discipline when angry, never! And I have seen the children who are foolish, in trouble at an age before they hit the teens, and girls that can go from a babyish two year old to a forty year old with a viscous mouth. So how do we discipline?

It begins as a baby, everyone will spoil them but where are they on the screaming nights? Children need a routine and bedtime, and not to sleep with parents. Watch a movie perhaps, go to bed, come and knock on the door if they are sick or having a bad dream.

The word diligent from Proverbs 13:24 comes back to mind, it has to be consistent. I know people are not on the same page and children will often go to the other parent or grandparent, real parent if your are a step parent. I did it but I was not a bad child, I hate those little tattle tales and lies told that are full of exaggeration, it can lead to anger, they pick up on what they can get away with. And it takes a toll on marriages if you are raising a strong willed and difficult child, or perhaps foster child. I have to admit that I was only involved in a limited capacity, never an actual foster parent. I have seen children desperately want a family and some that appear to be there to destroy it.

The smack on the bottom, the time out, loss of television, has to be implemented and consistent. It is written for a different time and place and the societal times have changed and so has civilization but not character and morals. I was never a little princess or diva, spoiled somewhat, but not after I got older, I think in a way I was overlooked and taken for granted, I was never in trouble at school, of course, I have always loved Jesus and wanted to please God but I was too often a people pleaser as well.

We can apply these principles to ourselves, are we disciplined because we are always at church, never say a bad word, help old ladies across the street?  Always exercise, never over eat or look at a piece of cake? No, we are loved because, we are His sons and daughters as believers and even before that, Christ died for us. Our acceptance of Him and that we love Him because He loves us, makes us disciplined. It is not prayer, fasting and flagellation ( beating yourself as punishment ) that makes us holy, it is Christ. And He gives His children rest, and He wants your children to give you rest and delight your soul. By disciplining them, we discipline themselves.

So the rod for the fool’s back, is not what He desires for us as believers, His rod and staff comfort. Children might lash out at discipline but they will  grow to understand, not to touch the stove, go in the street, stay away from the pool. I have seen a young man in prison say he wished someone had told him something and others that just appear to have no light at all even at young age.

Children need prayers and correction, and discipline, respect and boundaries not fear which has to for with punishment. It is important to teach them early on how much Jesus loves them, I have seen babies that could not talk, say Jesus. Look at the beating He took so we would not have to, that we would be saved. Parents may take a licking in a way, by not giving in to every whim or tantrum, and never be deceived and think, ” Not my child. ” You have a responsibility as a parent, until they are grown. You cannot live their lives, no matter how much parents want to see their children saved, some still refuse.

The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his/her mother to shame. Proverbs 29:15

Remember, His rod can be His word, He will destroy all the works of the enemy including abuse. That is not the same as discipline.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

God corrects and disciplines us as His children, and always firm but with love.

Restful Nights

As we study on rest this month, I am doing my best to explain it because I had the right idea years ago, but heard so much preaching and teaching in between there that I was losing it somewhere in translation. Before it was like go, go ,go, do what you couldn’t before and now I have found it is grace upon grace and more, how loving and patient the Lord is but that His patience wears out like in Isaiah when He withdrew rest, and other places peace, that is not the way believers want to go, is it? I want to rest, the rest Jesus offers.

I  also had had comments and I can tell that some are receiving it and some are still seeing it as natural sleep or rest, when it is in the Holy Spirit, it is like a state of grace, a peace that does pass understanding, and a calm that is like our picture, calm waves across out hearts in the evening, a gentle breeze, perhaps, her hand is raised in praise. It looks like she is walking on water, the stars are shining brightly, the moon of to the side.

A nice bath, soft music, hot milk? What helps you get to sleep? It is not social media, phones or distractions. It is the sleep of the beloved from Psalm 127:2. I like to smell a perfume in my sleepshirt, or the fabric softener in the blanket, some people like aromatherapy, but that is not the same as His rest.

We have looked at a lot of rest verses, now let’s look at the word, calm, Jesus calms both storms and daughters.

You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them. Psalm 89:9

He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Psalm 107:29, 30

Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Isaiah 7:4  / God’s word to Isaiah’s son.

The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. ( silent or still ) Exodus 14:14

And He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Matthew 8:26

And remember, He is coming soon. So rest in Him, His love and peace.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

cocoparisienne / pixabay

My Daughter’s Rest

Do you ever look at those cute sayings you see and some of them are on vinyl for the wall? Bible verses, quotes, even butterflies. I recall reading one about daughters, it went something like, ” Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will move mountains ”

Mothers will tell you getting children to rest or sleep, even daughters can be a challenge. Most might get into a soothing routine, a bath, a story but other strong willed ones require consistency and discipline. When I did day care we always settled in for a nap with a full belly and soft music, most of the children slept.

But, in my experience, though I am certainly aware of Mark 11:23 & 24, while I might be sleeping and speaking to my mountains to move, doing my best not to doubt, even though I don’t see it being cast into the sea right away, I believe it is truly Jesus moving them, not us, as daughters, we have to give Him the glory.

And too often, far too often, I would say. We pray, and perhaps believe we receive, but then we are not resting in Him and the promise, we start to dig. We put on our garden gloves and grab a shovel, and start to move our mountain, and we are exhausted. Even with little mountains, much less the big ones.

Have you ever seen an old movie and in the army, the new recruits will be put on KP or some other task, I have seen them move piles of dirt from one place to another or rocks. It is the same in the spiritual. I have seen the training also where a group of Irishmen were made to run with backpacks of rocks, now that is something I am sure I could not do. Sleep or not.

But we are so prone to pray and then fix it ourselves. Whether it is innate maternal instinct or just the sensitive nature of some one, and it could be people pleasing, fear of missing out, comparing our lives to others, lots of reasons. And for whatever reason, we simply give up our rest, not only sleep, but sometimes the sleep of the beloved which He gives us. Psalm 127:2. When we do we are refusing to rest, the rest He offers, and we never want to do that like in the Old Testament, it made God angry.

So whether the cute saying is just that or real in a sense, especially, In Christ. Let’s rest as daughters, teach our daughters to rest, and move the mountains with His words, by letting Him move them for us. He is our rock and we can speak to Him, and thank Him, bless His holy name. We can receive what we pray for and move those mountains. This is a daughter’s rest, faith in Him and in His name.

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. ” Matthew 20:21

Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Mark 11:23

Remember, when Jesus explains the fig tree, He cursed it because it was in bloom but had no fruit, and in the parable when the birds come and lodge in the tree that has grown from a mustard seed of faith, they represent demons, the devil goes after faith, but like He said, ” Don’t be afraid, only believe. ”

Footsteps Of His Rest

Have you ever heard the saying that some people start out with Jesus and end up with the devil. I don’t believe that is true if you really have believed in Him, no matter what happens, true believers will come to Him, even if they are hurt or angry or suffered a loss. I know a lot of bloggers, at least in a sense, and they have suffered losses, some admit being angry with God but most have found His comfort.

Now, granted there is the parable of the sower, and the devil comes immediately for the word that has been sown in your heart, it has to be rooted in good ground. Otherwise our hearts lose hope become troubled worried or fearful which Jesus warns about, also anger and even a believer’s heart can be bitter and evil, turning from grace. Hebrews 3:12, is worth a look, as we look to Jesus and follow in His footsteps.

I have studied Jesus for many years and I am always finding something new that coincides in the Word, a word study of one I did not know, a verse that I had heard out of context, like the joy of the Lord being my strength, ahead of it was not to grieve, and I was doing just that. No wonder my joy was fading.

We never want to grieve or hinder His Spirit, Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit, just like He will do for us. Though we are saved and have a measure of the Spirit, He will search hearts and give gifts freely as He see fit.  Jesus was God in the flesh, He had the Spirit without measure. I can tell you that 99.9% of people won’t even come close. He was anointed all day everyday and could heal the woman with the issue of blood and have the power gone from Him, then turn around and raise a girl who had died.

We can pray intercession, and I had a Bible teacher tell me how hard that was, as she was beginning to walk in it. I have done it for years and I can tell you, not many people can pray for you enough to move a mountain, save your life, get you to a place of healing, and if they can then you have to walk with Him to hold onto that gift. A spirit can leave and return with worse ones if not dealt with, it takes being born again and walking with Jesus, if you only think you know Him you can stray or even go the other way, not being saved or understanding the plan of salvation. You can abuse grace, trample on it, stay a willing sinner, that would make me question my salvation. It doesn’t mean to fear or constantly repent, the Spirit will show you.

Reading about Jesus is always a good idea, read the gospels and walk with Him, put yourself in His sandals, He heard and obey the Father and was one with Him by the Spirit. He did and said what He was told, not in fear but love, and He had joy and talked with others, I don’t like the petty, picayune idea of picking on every word, but I do watch them. And picture yourself with Him, not as a disciple but daughter.

Would He hold your hand as you stroll on the beach, laugh with you as the sea air blows through your hair or carry you? I can tell you there are a lot times when it was the latter for me. I have been dealing with a lot lately and I expect a release, a breakthrough, good things from a good God. I know trying to enter His rest can be a challenge but it is one worthy of the effort and it gets easier as you learn to roll that care on the one who cares and offers us His rest. It is a gift not to be taken lightly or refused.

Study how Jesus went away by Himself and with the disciples, there are times we can rest with family and friends and then just that time alone with the Lord. When we follow in His footsteps, we must follow in the footsteps of His rest. If Jesus had to, why wouldn’t we?

I recall trying to do so much, that I was overdoing it, and I felt Him lead me to His rest. When I suggested it, on a prayer board woman commented, ” No, no. ” Something like we didn’t need to rest, we needed to win souls. I don’t know about her or you, but I can tell you that if get the concept of His rest across to you, it might win your soul, refresh and restore it, and you can in turn do the same for someone.

Believers do not lose their souls if they are saved and it is not like finding yourself, or seeking your inner child. It is a sanctuary of the heart, we are the temple for His Spirit, and He will draw near to you and draw you to His rest. Has it been a long time since you felt good, experienced His joy or peace? Maybe, you are so busy being a mom and wife that you are forgetting what it feels like to be a woman or even a human being. Woman were made to love and be loved, respected and cherished as they are by God as His beloved daughters, and He whispers rest today. Follow in the footsteps of His rest.

Come to me and rest. Matthew 11:28-30

Well Rested

I have been resting this month, have you? And not just extra sleep, I have had to enter His rest, it has brought a lot of healing from lingering pain, spiritual warfare and just overdoing it in general. Overthinking and overwork, stress from so many things, it takes a toll, but Jesus knew how to rest, He offered it just like God did and we never want to refuse that gift that goes along with His peace.

Part of that rest is learning to cast your cares on Him. He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 And while you can go back and read all the verses on His rest, I have been finding ways that tie into His rest, and I want to give you one, why I chose the title Well Rested. We are all familiar with the woman at the well story. She may or may not have been a woman of ill repute, it could be that she had been passed around as was the custom when a husband died and a relative takes you in.

Jesus went out of His way for this woman, as He does for us all. The Jews avoided Samaritans, why it is good that a Samaritan would help someone in the parable. She would go to the well at a time when other women were not there, to draw water for cooking, cleaning, laundry or bathing, perhaps, many trips. We can all relate to her on some level.

Jesus asked her for water, then offered her living water and she received His words and found forgiveness and rest. He told her she was unmarried and had had five husbands, she was amazed at His perception and that He had the power to save and forgive, He was truthful, and her spirit was convicted and she believed and went to tell others,

He sat with her on Jacob’s well, which you may or may not know was filled with rocks by enemies, and had to be dug over and again, and it flowed with water once more. The enemy of the soul and just life, lots of enemies, like fear, illness, depression, all sorts of darkness can fill the well of the soul until there is no rest.  Especially true of unbelievers, it can also happen to Christians.

Like this woman and others, He will sit us on the well that flows and bubbles up living water, the Holy Spirit in us, He will give  us rest. And when we spend time with Him, any time of day, He will tell us more about ourselves than we could ever know, He will convict of sin but never condemn. We do that to ourselves and each other, and the enemy will, but there is no condemnation to those in Christ. Romans 8:1 is a promise.

Now, that doesn’t mean that He won’t correct and admonish us or put us back on track or that He is always pleased with our behavior, we may be masterpieces and He sees the finished work but some are a work in progress, Ephesians 2:10 and sadly some never receive.

I pray my blog is a blessing and that you are enjoying learning to rest, and will be well rested. Can you think of some of the other women He gave rest to? The woman with the issue of blood was healed and told to go in peace, I am sure she found rest, the widow of Nain, Jairus wife, Mary and Martha, her busy sister, all had loved ones raised from the dead, that surely gave them rest. The troubled and demon possessed Mary Magdalene, was freed of seven devils and Mary of Bethany who anointed, Him, the sister who chose to sit at His feet and rest. There are just so many, we can be knowledgeable of the Word, well read and also well rested in Jesus.

lubovisitsa / pixabay

His Peace Rests On You

Think about when John the Baptist dunked Jesus face first as was the custom then, into the Jordan River. The Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, a dove. When we were saved or born again, we had the same experience, as we were accepted or baptized into the beloved, Jesus. That is what what God called Him. His beloved Son, He was pleased with Jesus and wanted people to listen to Him.

Some people, heard God’s voice, some thought it was thunder and some heard nothing, just as it is now. And will be at His return. So, the Spirit came on you at salvation, there is actually three baptisms I have heard of, into the beloved, John’s, with water and the baptism that Jesus will give you, the baptism of His Holy Spirit, evidenced by the gift of tongues.

Whether you see a dove descend on you or not, He does in the spiritual realm. We read in John 14:27 that He left us His peace. Not the peace we think of but peace but His peace, heavenly peace.  That is why must we enter His rest, from Hebrews 4 is so important, a gift we must not refuse or to learn about and walk in, He offers it. Let’s look at  what the Bible says.

But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune. 1 Kings 5:4

Let Your favor, LORD, be upon us, Just as we have waited for You. Psalm 32:22

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us, establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands! Psalm 90:17

The LORD is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made. Psalm 145:9

And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. Isaiah 32:17

And if the house is worthy, let your greeting of peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your greeting of peace return to you. Matthew 10:13

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests. Luke 2:14

And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon Him. Luke 2:40

And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39

Now may the Lord of peace, Himself, give you peace at all times and in every way. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Now, Jesus had the Spirit without measure, He was God in the flesh. We fall short of His glory, Romans 3:23, but 24 offers His grace. John 1:16 says He gives us grace upon grace. Hebrews 4 says we can fall short of His rest, while most of will never have the Holy Spirit without measure, we have a measure of His Spirit and He gives spiritual gives and power to overcome, most importantly is to do whatever we do in love.

May His favor and peace rest on you today as a believer and if you don’t know Jesus as Lord, invite His peace into your heart.

The Best Rest Secret

If you don’t read any other pf my posts, please don’t ignore this one. It is a now word from the Lord. I got an e-mail from a fellow blogger and she mentioned a book she had been reading. There was a quote about Sabbath Rest, and how the Scriptures blanket us. I having praying that for a long time, Isaiah 53 for healing, Psalm 91 for protection, the Lord’s Prayer.

Jesus said He wanted His words to remain us as we remain in Him. Wonder why prayers have not been answered? Could it be we have walked away from rest? I sincerely believe that the rest the Lord offered, the Sabbath Rest of God, is ongoing, especially after Jesus came and died for us and offered it again after it was refused by the Jews.

When He offers rest, don’t brush it off, take it lightly, ignore it or refuse it. This rest blankets us alright, but not just on Sunday, a few dribs and drabs here and there, it is like salvation, ongoing and everlasting. God is pouring out His Spirit in the last days. People have followed revivals from town to town.

There were fires and fresh anointings, favor for a long time, and yet people have been under major burdens, heavy spiritual and mental attack. Some have left the ministry, there have even been suicides, that should not be. It is time to rest again clothe ourselves in His robe of righteousness and rest. Let Him give us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, that robe is our garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

It is time to get back to basics, as much as we love reading books, listening to sermons, getting together sharing blogposts, we have to get back to reading the Bible. Not in hurry on the phone, not a quick Pinterest pin. It is not enough. We have to seek Him in the secret place of rest.

Open that Bible and read, in the morning, at work, in the evening. read it to your children, grandchildren and husbands and wives. I feel a sense of urgency in this post. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus, fixed on Him, as He is the author, finisher and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 2:12

You may or may not know I write short stories, and more. I sometimes take sad stories and rewrite the endings, just to give them a happier ending. I can give a testimony of how being immersed in the Word has saved myself and others so many times. Especially, lately. It is not enough to remember it, though the Spirit reminds you, not enough to think you already know it, not even enough to memorize it or quote it. Proverbs says concerning His words…..

Let them not escape from your sight, keep them within your heart. Proverbs 4:21

They have to saturate your spirit in the Spirit, they have to be in your eyes, ears and mouth, and deep in your heart. They will wrap you in a robe of righteousness, a blanket or rest, you will wear His love, if you are rested and peaceful.

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. Proverbs 3:21

…Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 13:14

Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12

We want to be prepared for whatever comes, to overcome by the blood and our testimony, we want to be prepared to meet Jesus, in the air should He come for the church. I Thessalonians 4:17

In order to do that I think it is imperative to get ourselves back into focus and read His Word.  I know people who do and they still may not be doers of it, they would balk at a self help book and hand on to the KJV, and still perish for a lack of knowledge refusing rest.

I do believe the secret of His rest is knowing it is a completed work and it is daily and ongoing. His peace and rest to you today and if it resonates with you please leave a comment, it is time to rest and let God be God.

Returning And Resting

Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. Psalm 116:7

The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing. Isaiah 14:7

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. Isaiah 30:15

My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest. Isaiah 32:18

This is a word for me today, and I have been explaining it already this afternoon. How loud is your house, your mind, even your heart. Is it pounding away and stressed out? Next question, are you a believer? A beloved daughter of the King? Has He been good to you? Then return and rest.

We have already talked about how the people refused God’s rest, they wanted a king. I love Psalm 116:7, I really do. He has dealt bountifully with. Especially, getting back to my writing, and studying that Word. It could have gone the other way many times but there has been a lot of healing in me, even a bad fall over twenty years ago, I am feeling Him healing my knee. I should not be able to walk from scoliosis and more infirmities but I can and do, I almost didn’t make it into the world but I am here and He has good plans.

Yes, He had dealt with me bountifully and I am sure He has with you too. We have all done without something, had some illness, hardship or loss, and fear and grief would have overtaken us, pain, mental oppression, but He dealt bountifully with us, He saved us completely, and He completes us. He will finish what He started even if we can’t if we allow Him, but we have to rest, calm down, be still and quiet.

Isaiah even compares this to the cedars of Lebanon, when you are resting you won’t be cut down. That is powerful and he even repeats the Psalm  to his son as God tells him. when there kings after him, God, even before Jesus comes and keeps His cool, He tells him to calm down and rest. Not just sleep but rest in him, as a believer, it shows our faith in confidence in Him. Recently, I was hearing the phrase ” higher power “, well, in the spirit realm there are ranks and powers but I can assure you there is no Higher Power, than God. He made a covenant of peace when He sent Jesus.

When before, He offered rest through the prophet, He was sending His beloved Son to die for us, the very Prince of Peace, there is no one higher so He took the oath Himself, representing the body and the blood. So you see why He offers rest, why He has dealt bountifully with us, lavished favor and love on us, blessed us intensely and immensely.

Whatever we have had, we could have had even worse if not for His angelic protection and divine intervention, we have had many near misses, close calls, things that we know we have avoided but were spared and many, many more we don’t know about? God’s hand has been over many a snake in the grass.

Our mouth gets going and we should be resting, we don’t have to beg, yell or be angry at God, as believers, we should know sending His Son was enough, more than enough, so we are safe, we can drop whatever it is at the foot of the cross and leave it there, because He took it, we can return and rest.