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I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
“Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.
“Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.
“I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest.” Psalm
55:6-8
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Psalm 56:3 replace afraid with other words: anxious, restless, hurt, stressed, faithless, hopeless, weary, needy, angry,
My
beloved Sisters and Brothers in the LORD,
Have
we not all cried out, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! Behold, I would
wander far away and be at rest?” The word rest means to reside permanently. A dove mates for life and never attacks
an enemy. This gentle bird is a picture of peace. David too, felt like running
and found himself fleeing for his life again and again, from an unbalanced and
enraged king Saul. But David never attacked King Saul though he had opportunity.
Do you think at times David’s prayer songs were written and sung with tears? I
do… hear his words in verse 4-5 of Psalm 55:
My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of
death have fallen upon me. Fear
and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms
me. Doesn’t
sound restful! We all know what it is to have our hearts filled with
anguish and to taste the bitterness of life and experience the desire to fly
away and be at rest!
Rest: to repose, be exempt, remain, by implication: refresh.
Jesus words in Matthew 11:28 are balm to our weary selves. I know
this is probably familiar and I ask you to ‘hear’ what you read, place your
name* in Jesus words and embrace His promise of rest. “Come to Me, *all who
are weary and heavy-laden, 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.
Whatever
wears you down, the oppression of the enemy, life’s struggles with forgiveness,
trusting Him who has never failed, or just plain feeling sorry for yourself,
stop and remember, Christ Himself is our Peace and
He is our Rest. I know when I focus on my trials, rest makes itself wings and
flies away! We cannot make rest happen by ‘willing’ it but we can choose our
focus, Christ Jesus, and rest will come. Why? because He is gracious and good
beyond imagining.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction,
with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. II Cor 1:3-4
So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one
who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did
from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no
one will fall, through following the
same example of disobedience.
Hebrews 4:9-11 (unbelief)
On my knees I thank Him for the needs that will not allow
the my hungry heart to stop short of finding the rest that is only found in
Christ. paraphrase MS
As hard as it is for a
believer to finally come to rest
concerning his struggles and even his spiritual growth; it seems to be
even more difficult for him to simply rest in the Lord Jesus for his life and
victory. God allows many a painful failure when we deal with life in our flesh
until we enter the rest God provides. Romans 7 to reveals Paul’s struggle.
Resting in utter turmoil is a faith choice: trust God or not trust God.
“Truly to rest
in God is to yield oneself up to the highest activity. Entering the rest of God
is the ceasing from self-effort, and the yielding of oneself in the full
surrender of faith to God’s working.” AM
Rest in the
LORD and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7
God of rest and
peace, You know how I have wanted to ‘fly away’ this week, I run to You, Prince
of Peace, You who are my Rest. You know all my ways and are not surprised that
my spirit cries for wings to fly away, opening a door for unbelief to enter and
oppress. Help! You live in me and I desire You to be the motivating object in
my life, not my flesh or my desire for relief. Deliver me from unbelief. Teach
me to rest in You and You alone. You who love me, in spite of my unbelief,
delight to deliver me. You are my new center and Source. I trust You to move me
from a self-centered life of living by feelings, to a Christ centered life of
faith. I worship You this very moment, for I am so in awe of You and of Your life-giving
word. Hallelujah to You my Savior. Amen
Each of you are
prayed for and loved,
az
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devotional: http://az-doveseye.blogspot.com/
Check out 'By Design/ at Gramz Kidz, it is about the stick insect
