Resting in the Lord - Part 1

By Teri Dorrell

At one time or another, we have all felt the need to just “get away”. Maybe we want to get away from a stressful job or from our husbands, or perhaps even our children make us want to get away. At times we can each feel overwhelmed with life’s pressures and responsibilities.

Besides having various reasons for wanting to get away, we also probably have different ideas about how to get away. For you, it might be absorbing yourself in a book or shopping or taking a long walk. My Rachel plays the piano and I can tell when she is upset about something—she plays very loudly and fast! I sometimes feel the urge to just get in the car and drive and drive and drive. When I was small, I remember being really upset at my mom, and I escaped to the doghouse, knowing no one would look for me there, and of course, forgetting about the dog, who joined me! I then decided that mom and the house weren’t so bad after all.

“Escaping or running away from our problems will never help. We need to learn to deal with them with a meek and quiet spirit, which only comes from resting in the Lord.”

Escaping or running away from our problems will never help. We need to learn to deal with them with a meek and quiet spirit, which only comes from resting in the Lord. God never intended for us to carry our problems by ourselves! 1 Peter 3:4 tells us that we as women need to have a meek and quiet spirit. This is not dealing with the type of personality we have but with what is inside—how we respond and feel when times are hard and we feel the need to get away.

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (comfort, sleep, quietness).  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest (recreation, joy) unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

 Salvation

Only a Christian can find true rest. A person who does not know the Lord has to carry all of her burdens, all of her sins, and all of her guilt. She can only trust in herself. It’s no wonder people think they need sleeping pills and drugs to cope with their daily problems. What a miserable life to have no spiritual rest for one’s soul. We need to make sure we know the Lord as our Savior, and then our compassion for the lost should be great.

However, if we are saved, we need to evaluate whether or not we are living like an unsaved person. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Do I look to myself for all the answers?

  • Am I frustrated a lot with myself and with others?

  • Does everything and everyone get on my nerves?

  • Am I easily angered?

  • Would people around me say that I am a stressed person or I worry a lot?

  • Have I lost my joy, smiling only at church or when I have to?

  • Is my attitude negative?

Not knowing the Lord or acting like a lost person keeps us from resting in the Lord.

Sin

The second thing that may keep me from rest is sin. When my children have done something wrong, you will not find them at my side wanting affection and attention. They are usually in some quiet place, hoping their sin doesn’t find them out! The same is true for us. Simply because of sin, we miss out on so much fellowship with the Lord.

Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

There have been times when we feel the Lord tugging on our hearts to do something, and when we fail to obey—Oh, what misery!  Somehow we seem to think that we know more and our way is better, all the time piling on restlessness. Sin keeps us from rest.

We each need to realize that we cannot afford NOT to rest in the Lord!

DevotionalBenjamin Siens