When You Try to Resist the Call to Rest

It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?

{PSALM 127:1-2 MSG}

He had suggested we get out for an adventure, but I resisted. I rattled off a list of excuses why I could not go. There was so much work left undone—loads of laundry, dishes in the sink, a stack of bills on the table, the floor was filthy, the dog needed a bath—how could he think of fun at a time like this?

I teetered on the edge of overwhelm. Clearly my rhythm was off. Finally I gave in to his prodding—but first—I insisted someone take out the trash. And at once it was as if my self hovered above me where I could see how that bag of garbage in my hand was like the waste within my heart. The worries from the week had become a stinking heap of rubbish, pressed until the damn burst spilling a torrent of tears.

My family stood silent until I gathered myself up. When presently we grabbed our shoes to head out for an adventure. We brought a picnic lunch up to that spot in the mountains where the snow melt meanders down into the valley. After having sandwiches we headed out over the trail of wildflowers growing up over stones on the riverbed. The nearby stream poured its wonder-song through the wooded sanctuary.

Promptly we tore off shoes and dipped toes into the brisk water, let it wash over tired feet and smooth over a frazzled mind. Why had I resisted the voice of my Shepherd calling me to come away and rest? Sometimes he uses a staff to gently correct my waywardness when worries cause me to wander. But oh, how sweet the refreshment of those cooling waters to soothe an anxious heart. For God longs to bring rest to his loved ones.

Rest

Read the verse of the day: PSALM 127:2

Look up today’s verse and read it in context of the chapter. Have a pen and paper ready. We will work through five steps.

Write down the Bible verse.
Find the key word and circle it.
Look up the definition of the word (notice how it is used in context).
If you are reading from a different translation of the Bible, which word is used instead?
Underline where you find a promise. Find the heart of this verse and mark it with a heart shape.

(Click here for How to Use a Word Study.)

Meditation

What does this verse reveal about God’s heart? How does this truth refresh your soul? Turn this into your prayer today.

Please leave a comment below to share something that touched you in today’s devotional.

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