“Rest in the Lord.” We’ve heard these words a thousand times before, whether it’s from the pulpit on a Sunday morning or in a pre-class devotional as we’re fighting desperately to stay awake.
We crave rest on a daily basis, striving to get the next thing done just to slow down for a second, yet the work never seems to be finished. How are we to rest in the Lord when everything around us refuses to be silenced?
As I wrestle with this idea in my own life, I am drawn again and again to Psalms 1 and 23. These are familiar passages, and as a result, it can be easy to skim over them and miss the beautiful truths they offer; but I invite you to look at them afresh with me today.
In Psalm 23, we read that the LORD is our Shepherd who makes us lie down in green pastures, restores our souls and prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. It declares that even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we don’t have to be afraid, because the LORD is with us every step of the way.
Something that stands out to me as I read these promises is that being a Christ follower does not imply ease. We will have enemies, distractions and even death itself to deal with as we walk with the Lord. But praise be to God that His presence goes before us, preparing moments of rest and joy in Him as we trust His purposes!
And how are we to more actively trust in the LORD? We find the answer in Psalm 1, where it says that blessed is the man who does not walk in the ways of the wicked, but instead chooses to delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.
As we walk through the last days of this semester, my encouragement to all of us is to continue to be in the Word, abiding with God as He abides with us. Then, we will be like a tree planted by streams of living water— even as the waters rise and the world around us runs mad, we will be able to “rest in the Lord.”
