The Spiritual Journey 2024 - Day 30: He is our Rest.

“Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭116‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It was in England around 1762. A young cleric, Augustus M. Toplady, was traveling across a gorge. Suddenly finding himself in the middle of an intense storm, the young reverend sought refuge in one of the many clefts in the rock wall. It was from there that Toplady was inspired to write the words of the beloved hymn, “Rock of Ages.”

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

let me hide myself in thee;

let the water and the blood,

from thy wounded side which flowed,

be of sin the double cure;

save from wrath and make me pure.”

Toplady, having found refuge from the storm by hiding in the cleft of a rock, was reminded of the saving power of the Rock of our Salvation, Jesus Christ.

He knew, as did the psalmist, that true rest comes only from the Lord.

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭62‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Indeed, our Lord invited us all to enter into His rest.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

However, the Lord’s rest is only available to those who will submit to His yoke: the Holy Spirit.

Sadly, even many Christians suffer needlessly because they want to do things their own way.

“Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭6‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yes, even in the midst of trouble, some people will continue in their own ways of being and doing.

But, for those who will accept the Lord’s invitation to come to Him, for those who will trust and follow Him, rest can be a constant state of being, no matter the circumstances.

In our opening scripture we see the psalmist, after having been rescued by the Lord, instructing his soul to return to the place of rest.

Child of God, it’s easy to let what you’re going through pull you from your place of rest in Jesus. If you’ve let that happen to you, get back into your rest, get back into Him! Trust Him. Follow Him.

Remember, the Lord doesn’t just give rest, He is Rest!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#thespiritualjourney2024