Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Rest in the Lord


"Rest in the Lord,
and wait patiently for him;
fret not thyself."
(Psalm 37:7a)
~
This is a well known Bible verse to me,
and I find great comfort in this promise from my Lord.
as I ponder and quote it often in my heart and mind.
We are told in God's Word to
"Hide His Word in our hearts"
 (Psalm 119:11)
 and
"Delight in the law of the Lord,
and meditate on it day and night."
(Psalm 1:2)
  ~
For the past few weeks I have been dealing with a situation
where I have found myself quoting this very verse,
but, not necessarily claiming the promise.
As I was asking God for His direction in the matter
and waiting for Him to hear me,
this is the verse He placed upon my heart:
"Therefore I will look unto the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation:
my God will hear me."
(Micah 7:7) 
Yet,
I found myself not trusting completely even when He had clearly shown me the way,
 to the point of giving me peace within my heart,
that peace that passes all understanding,
you know that wonderful peace?  
As I bowed my heart and knee to God in prayer
asking for answers, trusting in the fact that He knows best,
 in His goodness to me, He placed this promise upon my heart:
"Trust in him at all times; ye people,
pour out your heart before him:
God is a refuge for us. Selah." (think on that)
(Psalm 62:8)
~
God in His goodness and grace hears my cry,
comforts my soul,
answers my prayer,
gives me His peace...
Yet still...
In my human frailties I choose to fret and worry,
become irritated and troubled
when it is not necessary.
~
Choices ~  throughout our lives we will have choices that we have to make.
God gives us free wills, but we must learn to make wise choices.
Thankfully, we have His Word to guide us,
to help us and to show us the way in which we should go.
Life is so much sweeter when we just trust and obey!
Many times we bring upon ourselves undue worry,
and in my particular situation,
I was doing just that, and what a waste of energy!
~
As I was meditating on Psalm 37:7
taking it piece by  piece and desiring to apply it to my life situation,
I decided to look up every important word in the Webster's Dictionary,
WOW! It sure made a difference in how I then,
meditated and applied the verse.
~
I just have to share this with you!
Dictionary work has always been one of my favorite's. :)
~
Definition of
 "Rest"
Peace of mind or spirit.
To be fixed or be fixed in trust or confidence.
<she rested her hopes in his promise>
So, if we are to "rest" in the Lord,
all we need to do is place our confidence, our hope in trusting God.
That crosses worry out, doesn't it?
~
"Wait Patiently"
A state or attitude of watchfulness and expectancy,
not hasty or impetuous.
Steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity.
So, if we are to "wait patiently for Him"
then all we need to do is have the attitude of
watching and expecting in the goodness of the Lord.
Also, we will not be hasty or impetuous in our decisions and choices that we make.
We will be steadfast no matter what is going on in our lives.
We will be firmly fixed and not subject to change.
We will be firm in our belief that God is True to His Word.
~
"Fret"
To suffer or cause to suffer emotional strain:
become irritated (not us ladies?)worry, vex.
<Fretted over petty problems>
To be troubled.
So, if we "fret" we bring upon ourselves suffering ~ undo suffering
and emotional strain ~ we become irritated
and worry over petty problems ~ small minor problems
that we create into BIG problems,
all through fretting,
which God's Word tells us NOT to do.
~
My situation was minor, "petty"actually.
I allowed myself to get worked up over something
that God already had in control.
Something He had already given me peace about.
Yet
So often we think our way would be better,
so we try and bulldoze our way right through God's ways,
and there we find no peace.
What joy to my heart when I threw in the towel
and "rested" in God's ways.
I was so ashamed before my God,
for my lack of trust and obedience.
But the wonderful grace of God... He restoreth my soul!
 ~
This was the promise I claimed;
"The Lord is my strength, and my shield,
my heart trusted in him, and I am helped;
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;
and with my song will I praise him."
(Psalm 28:7) 
~
Everything worked out perfectly in my situation,
because God is a Perfect, Holy and Righteous God,
who wants nothing but our best!
Are you claiming God's promises in every area of your life?
For when we do, our hearts will greatly rejoice,
with peace, singing praises to our God!
~
Our Precious Heavenly Father.
Cause us to seek Your promises for every area of our lives.
Help us to rest in You, as Your Word encourages us to do.
May we not become anxious or hasty,
but trust in the confidence and hope
that we have in You.
Forgive us for our lack of trust at times
and with hearts full of joy we will greatly rejoice
and sing praises to Your Holy name.
Amen.

~ Be Lovely ~
Debbie

18 comments:

Billie Jo said...

Yes. Yes. Yes.
I so need to remember this beautiful post...
I tend to worry and fret myself...
Thanks for the heartfelt words !
Have a cozy day!

Debby Ray said...

Debbie, I was also in the midst of a situation this week that totally had wrecked me emotionally. I'm so glad my hubby was working the evenings or he would have wondered what in the world was wrong with me! I was disappointed in myself for not having more faith that God would work it all out. Thank you sharing this wonderful devotional...just what I needed today! Blessings, sweet friend :)

Anonymous said...

It's true. I have experienced it. when i have tonnes of sorrows i used to put them in the hands of Lord and be free!

Stephanie said...

Excellent words! As your daughter, I was able to see some of the issues and trials that you were facing and in the end you have "come forth as gold."

You faced the fire with God and by finally claiming His promise you defeated it through Him.

I love you :)

Sola Scriptura said...

Amen. I just love your blog, especially the way you close each post in a prayer that I can join you in praying.
I all too often think I know what is best when I need to trust and obey God, seeking His way. Thank you for this wonderful reminder.

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Aww bless you, Sweet Debbie, for all your fretting, for we are just humans, but you yielded to God's Almighty strength. You're such a vessel of knowledge for me and for others. Thank you for sharing your human frailties with us and how you overcome them. xo

Sylvia said...

Debbie, I find myself guilty of this same thing....praying but worrying anyway, then I'm reminded of a saying I heard long ago "If you Pray-why worry! If you worry-why pray" Trusting God as a believer you'd think would come easy but the human side always shows up. Thanks for this encouraging post. I look forward to the next one.

Vicky Hunt said...

You don't know how much I needed this reminder today. Thank you for sharing your heart and God's beautiful words and promises. You are a blessing...Vicky

Denise said...

My dear friend, you are so full of love, beauty, and wisdom. Thanks for sharing all three.

living from glory to glory said...

Dear Debbie so glad everything went well! I prayed all day for you; and He has answered.
I also enjoy using my dictionary while reading and studying the bible. There has been so much going on lately. It is like we must have are shields up very high and not let our guard down! I loved your comment on my post on the china! We have had so much fun sharing it over the years!
In Him, Roxy

silverfeather said...

So thankful for you Debbie...you share the wisdom you've gleaned from God's Word at just the time I need it!

Ceil said...

HI Debbie! I am so thankful that everything worked out so well for you. Isn't it always the small things that get to us all the time? I find that so true in my own life. The really big stuff? I know God's got that. The small stuff? I start to worry away...

Thank you for the wonderful Scripture passages that soothe the soul. And pointing out that the dictionary can be a powerful tool too!
Blessings,
Ceil

Robyn said...

Gosh, we sure do need this reminder, Debbie! I'm so glad you were able to find your way and in the process look how you helped so many others!
You are a treasure, Miss Debbie, and I'm so glad you have joined this little community!
Rest up and pamper yourself! Hugs.

Valerie said...

What a lovely post and a lovely reminder of God's love and care. I think fretting comes naturally especially to us mothers. I am so grateful for a heavenly Father upon whom I can pour my cares. So nice to have an anchor in life's fitful seas. I love all of the verses you quoted. Many of which are my favorites. I love to read in the Psalms. I seem to be able to see myself so often in David's struggles. Thank you for such a lovely read. What a beautiful way to end the day. Blessings and Sunshine, Valerie

Delvalina said...

Mrs Debbie,
I've been thinking of you, and praying for you since Stephanie wrote me an email. But your faith through this situation has blessed my heart. I've been alot through this time, I know how it feels but one thing God's mercy never cease and His loving kindness remainds. Thanks for sharing the beautiful verses and your heart.

With love,
Delvalina

Deborah Montgomery said...

What a good word Debbie. We "know" these things, but it is much harder to really know them deep down where it's real. Thank you for the word study, too.

Camille said...

It is so very true that we worry and fret about so much so often. How precious it is to know that nothing is a surprise to our Great God. And, precious as well, to know that He is in complete and Sovereign control of all things. How wonderful it is to belong to HIM! Have a lovely weekend, Debbie. Hugs, Camille

Ida said...

Goodness I think the Lord is trying to tell me something. First I read your post and then I read this one:

http://mkatchris.blogspot.com/2014/05/growing-heart-of-thorns.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FIdOPg+%28Through+a+Glass%2C+Darkly%29

I am a "worrier" and perhaps I need to take note of both these posts.

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