Awakening this morning, I was instantly aware of the
challenges and work that stretch out in ahead in this new week. There are the mundane chores – a lawn to be
tended, bills to be paid. There are the normal responsibilities – sermons to
write, calls to make, study in preparation to speak. There are ‘people’ needs –
broken hearts, those who have lost their way, those who are overwhelmed,
grieving, or confused who want to sort it out with my help. For a moment, I felt like turning over and
hiding in my bedroom. (No, not really!) You, too, face a new week of work and
responsibility, don’t you? This is life. Making
a living, keeping life moving in the right direction, requires sustained
effort against the chaos.
But . . . settle into
your strength before you tear into the day. Before I even threw back the sheets
to put my feet on the floor, I turned to our Father to commit my way and this day to Him, to invite
His wisdom, and yes, to thank Him for giving me a solid place on which to
stand, a rest for my soul. I think of
that ‘rest’ in this way. Looking over
the New York skyline, those buildings that stand tall, hundreds of feet above
the earth, are impressive. They ‘rest’ on foundations that extend to the
bedrock below the surface, on steel that goes through the subsoil to the
rock! The engineering of the foundation
of every skyscraper is one of the most important parts of the project, every
one unique to the site, to the depth of the bedrock, and to the ‘demands’ of
the building’s weight and height!
Christian, there is a
solid foundation for life, one designed by the Father on which we rest our souls, finding the stability and strength we
need for life today. Paul reminded Timothy to rest on this – “God’s truth stands firm like a foundation
stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his.” (2 Timothy
2:19) God knows YOU, knows the stresses
you are facing, knows the unique demands of your life. And, He invites you to
rest yourself on Him. Jesus opens His heart to us - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden
is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV) The ‘rest’ of which He speaks is not a
vacation, nor does He say He will release us from our responsibilities! He offers us to steady us, to refresh us, to
prepare us – so that we will not collapse.
This Monday morning, before you engage fully with life, and
hopefully you will engage; lean into
your Father. Breathe simple prayers of thanks, of petition, of praise, of
worship. Quiet your mind and heart to find a steady place as your find your
footing. Sometimes getting to that place
demands a level of discipline to quiet our voice and our thoughts, to focus on
the Presence of Jesus. Contemplative prayer is that listening, worshipful
approach to Jesus, seeing Him with open arms. It can be more difficult to just ‘wait
on the Lord’ than to pour out a torrent of words, can’t it?
Take a cue from David, from a Psalm of prayer. This is a
word from the Word for you this Monday. "The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is
the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1,
NIV) "Wait
for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalm
27:14, NIV)
_______
Leaning On The
Everlasting Arms
What a fellowship what
a joy divine
Leaning on the
everlasting arms
What a blessedness
what a peace is mine
Leaning on the
everlasting arms
What have I to dread
what have I to fear
Leaning on the
everlasting arms
I have blessed peace
with my Lord so near
Leaning on the
everlasting arms
Leaning
Leaning
Safe and secure from
all alarms
Leaning
Leaning
Leaning on the
everlasting arms
Anthony Johnson Showalter | Elisha Albright Hoffman
© Words: Public Domain
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