The Prophetic Word- Day 108: True rest is not the absence of activity or of trouble.

“Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭116‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ I believe we can all identify with David’s desire to be able to escape trouble so that he could be at rest. “My heart is severely pained within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off, And remain in the wilderness. Selah I would hasten my escape From the windy storm and tempest.”” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭55‬:‭4‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ But, as you probably have discovered all too well, even if the opportunity is afforded to escape from one set of troubling circumstances, trouble will find you. So, it’s not a stretch to say that people do ridiculous things in an effort to find rest. To begin our examination of how true rest looks, let’s first go further into what true rest is not. First, true rest is not an absence of activity. Now, whereas we all need periods of inactivity (such as sleep), inactivity does not bring true rest. Have you ever been totally exhausted and even after getting several hours of sleep woke up feeling the same way? Given, there can be some physical deficiencies contributing to this phenomenon. But generally, the result of being unable to have a mind that is at rest is the culprit. It’s like going on vacation to get away from your work and spending that time worrying about what is happening in your absence. You will returned as unrested as when you left! I remember my mother describing something I believe is a common phenomenon for many people. You see, she tended to suffer anxiety, often “fearing the worst.” Now, whereas during the day she would be less bothered by her fears, when she would lie down to go to sleep, she would feel all of the anxiety “closing in” on her. Finding no rest from sleep, or other so-called “restful” states (e.g., the aforementioned vacation), is so common, that it supports a multibillion dollar industry of products promising to bring rest to the individual. Indeed, millions of people are on anti-anxiety medications. Still others seek rest from sleep aids, or even illegal drugs, to no avail. Yes, inactivity does not equate to rest. As well, contrary to what we might suppose, rest isn’t found in the absence of turmoil. Again, we all know people who tend to be miserable no matter their circumstances. You see, wherever they go, there they are. That is, the source of their trouble is internal. In our opening scripture we see David expressing thanks that God has again delivered him from death. His trouble had drawn him out of his place of rest; now he instructs his soul to “return to your rest.” Do you need to return to your rest? Spoiler alert: the rest we are discussing—true rest—can only be found in Jesus. Yet, we do see many Christians who still don’t seem to have found true rest. We will discuss this more tomorrow. Peace to you. Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him! #ThePropheticWord