Rest

Prayer ~ Lord God… So many of us are just tired. We need rest. We need rest in You.

But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I choose You, Sovereign LORD, to be my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do. Psalm 73:28 NLT. I take rest in You, and seek you as my refuge, knowing that You will rescue me from evil and reward me with eternal life with You. Thank You.

Shelter - Rest in the presence of the Most High.
Under the wings of the Holy Spirit.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The LORD says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation." Psalm 91:1-16 (Underlined for emphasis.)

 

Key words to this Scripture passage: Rest. Refuge. Rescue. Reward.

The Lord promises to Rescue those who love Him. Do you love the Lord? The Bible teaches us that we are to love the Lord.

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: "Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus replied, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?" The man answered, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!" Luke 10:25-28

The Reward for that love will be eternal life. We will all live forever…just where is the big question. If we love God, then we will be with Him in Heaven…forever. If not, we are choosing Hell—a horrible place of eternal damnation—forever without God. I personally do not want to go there. Who would? I choose to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.

 

Take your Refuge in the Lord. During turbulent times we may have to stay put in our homes…or near our homes. During the COVID pandemic if we ventured out to walk or run in our neighborhood, we had to stay away from others. Even today, we don’t know who has a virus…but let’s not get paranoid…no fear…just use some wisdom. Wash your hand, stay a safe distance away from others, cover your own cough or sneeze. Be Practical. Use Common Sense.

 

Rest. We are certainly need to do that—rest—whether we want to or not, but this rest doesn’t have to be just physical rest…but a spiritual rest. Live in the shelter of the Most High—God Himself.

The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7

 

Take a break—from worry, stress, and anxiety. Relax and rest in the presence of the Lord. Look for Him in things that are happening around you…and find Him within your own heart and life. Restfully sleep knowing that as children of God, He is in control, while the world is under the control of Satan.

We know that God's children do not make a practice of sinning, for God's Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts. 1 John 5:18-21.

 

Do NOT be afraid of disease or disaster. ...if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.  Claim that promise for yourself, your family, friends and neighbors today. No evil will conquer you—it’s not a promise that there won’t be evil…just that God wins in the end.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it." Isaiah 30:15 (Underlined for emphasis.)

 

© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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