| “Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” |
| —Psalm 116:7 NKJV |
What does the Bible say about the Christian’s customary position? Hebrews 4:9 says:
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.
I believe that Scripture teaches that Christians should normally live in a “resting” position. This place of rest shows reliance on God, joy, divine peace, and trust in God’s care.
I like the New King James Version of Psalm 116:7 because it uses the word “return.” God’s peace and rest remain our normal position.
In Psalm 116, the Psalmist had been overcome by trouble and sorrow. (His words.) He apparently had come close to death and God had spared him. In response, he speaks to himself and says: “Return to your rest.”
What kinds of things can you recall that have taken you out of your resting position? Maybe it was a deadly disease, a close call, a period of great stress, or the multitude of times when you just don’t know how a problem will turn out. Sometimes these “tempests in a teapot” can cause great strife in our lives.
When we turn to God in these times, more often than not, He hears our prayers, answers us, and “tends and spares us”—as the hymn “Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven” teaches us: 1
Father-like, he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows;
In his hands he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Widely as his mercy goes.
So, as we experience the turmoil and terrors of daily life, and after asking God in prayer to see Him do some wonderful things, let us remember to praise Him. Let us also meditate on the many times He has answered our prayers. And, let us record in our journals those times in our lives, so we can return and remind ourselves of them in the future.
Then, let us rejoice in His goodness. He will allow our souls to return to their natural position of rest in Him.
| 1 Lyte, Henry F. “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.” Public Domain. This Hymn is included in various Hymnals that are copyrighted by the publisher of the particular Hymnal. Please take note that, in all cases, citation of copyrighted material is made on this blog post strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder. |
