Rest

Listen:

Lord, remember David and all that he suffered. He made a solemn promise to the Lord. He vowed to the Mighty One of Israel, “I will not go home; I will not let myself REST. I will not let my eyes sleep nor close my eyelids in slumber until I find a place to build a house for the Lord, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.” We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah; then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar. Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord; let us worship at the footstool of his throne. Arise, O Lord, and enter your RESTING place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power. May your priests be clothed in godliness; may your loyal servants sing for joy. Psalms 132:1-9 (NLT)

Reflect:

Read that again.

Two seemingly different uses of the word REST. Sometimes we need to not let ourselves rest until we fulfill the Lord’s purposes, his plan, call, anointing…whatever language stirs your soul. What is welling up inside of you that must be done? 

David’s goal was to provide a resting place for God. This is a psalm for those on their way to the temple. Those on pilgrimage, on a journey with the goal of worship. Do you have a resting place? A place to worship? Do you have a song to sing on the journey? Can you meet God there?

The word rest is often paired. Rest and quiet, rest and reflection or as an adjective, a resting place and even a position of rest. If we look beyond physical rest that the body needs to the spiritual refreshment our anxious minds and weary souls need it’s not too far a stretch to pair rest with worship. Because when we honor God, when we proclaim that he is good and faithful and just, providing our salvation like no other, well the result is joy. The kind of joy that comes when you wake up rested.

Prayer of Response:

“Lord my soul is weary but I will not rest until I speak out your goodness, I will make a record of your detailed love for me. Help me renew my patterns of rest, finding that place where worship flows easily. Refresh me, body and soul as I rest in your presence.”         

 —Submitted by Kim Platt