Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches!
Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!
Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.

Lamentations 2:19 ESV


Friday, January 17, 2014

In Returning and Rest

Years ago, the Lord gave me the verse, Isaiah 30:15a: "In returning and rest, you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength…" (NKJV)
 
In reading other translations and perusing word definitions, I came to understand this verse to mean that when we stop struggling or fighting (the word returning was defined as meaning retirement or withdrawal) and rest in God, we will have victory over our enemies. It's when we are quiet and calm and have confidence or trust in the Lord that we have the strength—the power we need to see us through any circumstance.
 
As moms, it is easy to be anxious for our children and carry heavy loads, which get heavier as our children grow older. But the Lord tells us to come to Him and rest from these heavy loads, our labors, to stop fighting, and to share His yoke. (Matthew 11:28-30) Then His calm will be our calm, His peace will be our peace, as we trust Him to do whatever is needed in His own good way and time. We can pour out all our heart, all our worry; we can cast all our cares on Him. We can do that because He takes the load when we are yoked with Him. That is why His yoke is light—He's carrying the burden of it, not us.
 
We are not alone.
 
Jesus stands beside us. He not only fills our hearts and minds with peace, He gives us victory. He is with us as a mighty, awesome one, as a powerful, fierce and great warrior. That is what Jeremiah wrote—"…the Lord is with me like a violent warrior." (HSCB) He is the champion on our side
 
The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is His name.
Exodus 15:3 KJV
 
We praise You, our mighty and awesome Lord. We praise You that You are the same warrior for us that You were for Jeremiah and for the Israelites. You hear and answer our prayers. You offer us real peace and real victory as we return to you and rest. In You we find quietness and confidence. In Your strength we know strength and salvation. You are our warrior who stands with us. As Isaiah wrote (49:25), You will contend with those who contend with us and save our children. May we rest in You and stay yoked to Your side! In the precious and powerful name of Jesus, amen.


 

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