10/08/2021
When we are unsettled and troubled during our days, and unable to sleep at night due to tossing and turning, where do we go for comfort; to whom do we turn for resolution, and rest? Are we tormented by sin? Is our soul uneasy due to our separation from God? Does God’s Will escape us? Or, are we simply unable to find the root of our discomfort; being unaware of what causes us to feel this way? Whatever the reason, and whether day or night, our soul can be calmed, and satisfied through an exploration of God’s Word, our leaning upon it, and through the good news of Jesus Christ as we meditate upon His life, death, resurrection, and promised return.
“My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;”
Psalm 63:5-6 ESV
We fret, and pace relentlessly during the day while our troubles continue to mount, but at night we lie awake, and not being able to find sleep, our restlessness torments us. In the day our troubles mount, but at night our minds race as we search for the resolution of our anxiousness. Yet whether day or night, pacing or sleeplessness, our peace awaits us in God through our faith in Jesus Christ.
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Colossians 3:15-17 ESV
So, are we unsettled today? Is our life a mess, or our nights fraught with sweat, terrible dreams, uneasiness, and anxiety? Are we searching for what causes us to feel this way, or do we already know the reason, but just can’t find a way to escape our dilemma? Whatever the situation, the Lord is our strong tower; He has sent His Son to redeem us, He defeats our enemies, forgives our sins, shines light into the darkness, and straightens our paths. God is our refuge and our strength, and to those who believe he gives His rest, peace, and joy. Some of our earthly problems might remain as an aching, or our sin induced wounds continue on, but our peace and rest doesn’t always depend on an earthly resolution, but on the understanding that what matters most finds rest in Jesus, and what is eternal finds its peace in God. Our joy is made complete in Heavenly places.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah”
Psalm 46:1-3 ESV
So today take your earthly problems and place them in the hands of God. Tonight, let Jesus shoulder your burdens, and find restful slumber in Him. Tomorrow you might still be hungry or face some other residual problem, and tomorrow night you might hand more burdens to Jesus so that you can find rest once more, but your sins will be forgiven, and your troubles will be calmed by knowing they are of this world alone. Our peace, rest, and joy, are founded in the Spiritual things, and our resolution for the daily frets, and nightly unrest, don’t always come from earthly resolutions, but most certainly from our belief that they will not follow us into Heaven.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.””
Revelation 21:4 ESV
Prayer:
Father thank you for hearing me sigh in the day, and moan in the night. Thank you for coming to me like a gentle breeze to wash away all that unsettles me, and to refresh me beside your still waters, and make me lie down in your green pastures. This is the day that you have made, so Father shine your light into my heart, and bring joy to my soul as I walk with you in it. This is the night in which I long to sleep, take my burdens, and give me peace as I rest, and make your soothing comfort to be a pillow for my soul. You are the ointment that heals whatever troubles me, you forgive the most obscure, and hidden, of my sins. You return the ease and contentment of righteousness to my innermost self which is the Holy of Holies within my body; your sacred temple. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who we lean on for understanding, peace, rest, and joy. We praise you for standing watch over us while we sleep, and taking our troubles from us during the day. We worship you in the midst of our suffering, knowing the ultimate victory is in Christ, and that victory awaits us in your Heavenly kingdom. Wash us clean of sin with the blood of Jesus so that it can be left behind, and our righteousness returned. Call us worthy, and on the day in which Jesus returns complete the removal of the aching left by our sin… our tears, suffering, and earthly trouble from us, because, as Songwriter Andrew Peterson once wrote for us in his song “The Silence of God”, the aching may have remained but the breaking has not.
“The Silence of God” by Andrew Peterson:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cvytewIxll0
Rich Forbes