“Restless in Resting Place”
By Rev. Andrew B Natarajan
“Pay attention to me and answer me I am troubled and upset” (Psalm 55:2). Psalmist David says this heartbreaking Prayer to the Lord. He admits in the presence of the Lord that his Heart is restless, his mind is restless, his soul is restless, and his body is restless. It is not because of his poverty, not because of lack of things in life, not because of his involvement in the Kingdom of God.
The Lord promised him the Kingship and he was anointed by the Prophet Samuel from that day onwards he was targeted by colleagues as opponent party, tortured by his boss as number one enemy, tormented by all. He says if my restlessness is caused by my enemies I could have restrained, bear it. But it is from my friend, my brother, my colleague. David says: “But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend, we who had sweet fellowship together, walked in the house of God in the throng” (55:13-14). As long as, he was after the sheep he did not face anxieties, discomfort but when he entered into the promise of God, he faced the restlessness from reckless people.
Church is the Temple of God, Where God dwells (Ps. 11:4), where His Grace is found, where His beauty is found, where His abundance of Life is found (Ps 36:8), where his loving kindness is found (Ps. 48:9) where His glory dwells (Ps 26:9), and where His shining and radiant face is found.Jesus said “come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). But how often the Pastorate Committee and Pastorate Conference members are restless, their worship brings no joy tothem, they are not able to have sweet fellowship with others. They hate one another, even the Pastor becomes their enemy.
If you are a convert please remember that the Lord redeemed you by His precious blood to be his child, to enjoy His blessings, to rest in His holy peace. Yes, the first day when you entered into the Church you came to worship the Lord, came to forget your daily mundane life, you came to eat the word of God, drink the grace of God in the Church. But the day when your name is nominated for the committees to serve in the Pastorate, your struggle started, your thoughts are changed, you started to think of great about yourself. You forgot to give honor to God. Sometimes you turned violent, reckless, wicked and useless to the Church and even to God. It is good to find out and do retrospect ourselves where we deviated from the calling of our life in the Church.
If you are a Born Methodist, you think of always about the rich legacy of your forefathers. You are pride of in being baptized in the Church, Confirmed in the Church, married in the Church. You are pride of brought up in the Church Hostels. One thing you forgot and sometimes never even realized that you are not a Born again Methodist. You think you can survive and become great in the Church without devotion, fear of God. You can.
But God looks for a Born Again Methodist to do his Ministry, to fulfill His will in Methodist Church, to serve through Committees from Local to All India level. The Born again believers in our churches find it very difficult to bring changes in the Church administration, spiritual atmosphere and environment. They struggle a lot to see the Spirit of God to move in, without converting yourselves, not allowing the Holy Spirit to work, you are creating lot of confusion in the Church, you sow the seeds of loathing, violence, corruption in the Holy Methodist Church which was established by the sacrificial life and ministry of Missionaries. God will deal with you and those who play with the Church. Some are not allowing the Church to bloombut leading to bleak by inducing others to do evil against God’s people and Godly leaders.
Do your life, your children and grandchildren are blessed one. How often because of your faithlessness your wife, children, grandchildren are suffering from diseases and in curses. God is true; he deals with everyone according to their characters – Loyal to those who are Loyal, good to those who are good, pure to those who are pure, against those who are bad (Ps. 18:25-28) at the same time he brightens the darkness to those who trust in Him.
Dear reader, think a while whether people are wrong or your specs. Who decides the right and wrong in theChurch? As long as self is not crucified, desire for post and power is not crucified, desire for holiness is not in you, desire for soul winning is not in you, nothing will benefit you, nothing will give you rest. Everything and everyone seems to be bad, every Bishop, every DS, every Pastor and even every person in the Church are seems to be bad to you. Because you are neither changed nor converted, your characters are not changed; you are basically cunning, ungodly, accuser and even wanted to enjoy God’s properties. But don’t forget that there is a day to judge, to bring everything in the light. Nothing can save you from God’s wrath except the Blood of Christ. Jesus is ready every day to forgive you, to cleanse you and make you useful in the Holy Church. Come to Him, confess your sins and be redeemed. If you are changed, your local Church will be changed. If your local Church is changed your conference will be changed, if your Conference is changed the entire MCI is changed. God is at work. God is reviving the Church. Why don’t you be the channel of blessings, root of revival, and cause for the visitation of the Lord? Yes God revives our Churches.
How long you want to continue in the enmity in the Church. How long you want to despise the grace of God? How long you want to rob the Church, create chose and confusion in the Church. Just for your survival, do you want to destroy the Church systematically? But God will not bear it.
In cemeteries we read RIP, how often Christians die without rest. So it is better for us crucify the self today and live in peace in Church and with all. Where to draw the line to stand for justice as well as peace of the Church?Often some say that better to leave this Church and go to some other Church and worship peacefully, do evangelism, don’t involve in any politics. Why don’t you do that here?
One day while I was saying the Lord’ Prayer the Lord asked me to stop at “forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”.I realized that what I saying everyday was not true in my life. Immediately I confessed my sin and left it to the Lord.
So David says in “Cast your burden upon the LORD he will give you Rest” (Psalm 55:22) and further he utters in Ps. 37:3, 7Trust in the Lord, Do best in the Lord, and Rest in the Lord. Even in this psalm he ends with the Word “But I will trust in the Lord”.
