12.16.16

 
 
Devotional for Friday, December 16, 2016
“In God Alone I Rest”
 
 
 
in God alone I rest
 
by Dona Hake
 
Yesterday we meditated upon leaning upon our Lord patiently as we wait for Him.   Psalm 37:-7   Amplified Bible, Classic Edition   “Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him…”
 
If you were to lean against something unstable in the natural you could feel apprehensive to lean the full weight of  your body for fear of it not holding you up.   Let us remember that our Lord is a strong rock, He is an anchor, and when we lean on Him, we can  completely lean ourselves on Him and  rest in Him.   Today I want to encourage your heart to maintain a sweet rest in your Heavenly Father.  Daily responsibilities and cares can just take it out of us if we are not seeking His face and casting our cares upon Him.    When you are overwhelmed, weary and anxious, are you quick to run to Him?   We can only deepen the revelation of this truth within our hearts.    
 
Matthew 11:28
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened,

and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]”
 
As the Lord desires to relieve and refresh us He also desires our diligence.  We must attend to our hearts as He has commanded us to.   We must guard our hearts and keep them full of His Word.  Just as you have to continue to deposit money in your checking account to continue writing checks, we also have to continue to deposit the things of the Spirit within our hearts and minds.     We cannot live off of the the testimonies of yesterday, even though they do encourage our hearts.   We cannot expect our faith from yesterday is to be lived upon today.    We must go to Him quickly and diligently. We must continue to go deeper and deeper with our Lord, for it is in that place that we will experience complete strength, hope,  rest, and a faith that continues to grow strong.
 
If we are honest with ourselves we may see that  there are times when we are pushing the boundaries of our bodies and minds to the place in which we so often experience a weariness.     As we continue to grow in the depths of all that He is, we must make every effort to make Him  our dwelling place.     It is there that there is strength and peace beyond any comprehension exists. We will  indeed experience a peace that passes all understanding!   I believe that God wants us to live in a place called rest that ONLY He provides. So what is this rest? Here is one definition that I loved…
 
Rest:   relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs.
 
Let us abide under the shadow of His wings…may we live there, hang out, stay there….God wants us to remain before Him. He does not desire we come and go as we please. He does not desire that we come to Him when only life’s problems come up, but He desires we remain. It is as we rest in that place that we really do experience His rest!
 
“Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him,”
Psalm 62:5 HCSB