I will give you Rest
Psalm 116:7”Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.”
Early one morning while I was reading the Bible , this scripture spoke to me really deep! Really deep! You got to actually read the entire chapter to understand the feelings of the writer, who is David. Listen, David said, ”The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.” He further says, ‘I was brought low’, despite being engulfed with such problems, David goes on to say ‘return to your rest, O my soul!’ Glory, Glory to Jesus!
The above scripture brought me healing, I’m sure someone out there needs this Word today! Stop running to 1000 people, but learn to do self-medication; you may ask what is that? Have you not seen the dogs, cats and few other animals lick their wounds and do self-medication, we got to also learn to treat ourselves. Listen! Don’t get me wrong here, we do need the body of Christ to pray for each other and love each other, but there comes a point in our life, when the ‘pressure and heat’ increases, we got to fend for ourselves. I got to share something personal here, so that you’ll understand what I exactly mean; as preachers and pastors, life becomes terribly lonely for us. If we need shoulders to cry upon, then those shoulders should not only be broad to soak the tears but also it got to be trustworthy, is anybody listening? Not worth it friend. People judge you. Anybody listening? Stop looking for people to download your sob-story, that becomes ‘juice’ for people to drink, enjoy and gossip. Learn to close your door and pray. Be strong. Say like David, ‘Return to your rest, O my soul!’
Exodus 33:14"My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." These are the awesome words that the Lord spoke to Moses at a time when the Israelites had sinned and lost the presence of God but when Moses interceded to God to forgive their sin, the Lord promised “My presence will go with you”. Amen. His presence not only gives us confidence but it gives us REST. Say Amen. Every anxiety, fear, angst, worries, turbulence would be put to rest because our Master goes before us! Stay calm!
I had to undergo a major operation in the year 2013, my husband was by my side outside the operation theatre and we were talking until the time I was rolled on a stretcher into the operation theatre. I was surrounded by ward boys and nurses busily getting the place ready, the knives, scissors, big machines sent a chill up my spine, I had to wear clothes meant for operation and I was made to lie down on the operation table. None could come with me inside the operation room except the Lord who never left my side. Say Amen. I closed my eyes oblivious to the hustle and bustle that surrounded me and began to pray. I experienced the scripture that said:
Exodus 33:14"My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."
As you go through the desert, Jesus would be a pleasant shade to screen you from the scorching heat of the sun. You would come out victorious, do not worry!
Following are the anguish filled words of David: “Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?" - 1 Samuel 20:8
Saul’s intention to kill David was now clearly revealed because of Saul’s twelve attempts to kill him- three times by throwing the javelin at him, twice by making marriage arrangements with a plan for the Philistines to kill him (1 Sam 18:17), 6 times by sending soldiers after him and once by Saul going after him in Ramah. Having come to know of Saul’s demonic schemes to kill him, David cries out to his friend Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?" (1 Samuel 20:1) His words ‘kill me yourself’ in verse 8, reveals his anguish and pain. God surely knew that David would find it hard to take the bashes all alone, hence, He blesses David with a beloved friend Jonathan. 1 Samuel 20: 17 says “ Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.”
Mathew Henry says, “If there be those that hate and despise us, let us not be disturbed at that, for there are those also that love and respect us.” God would never forsake us! The sudden turn of events in his life, the deadly chase of Saul, the separation and isolation certainly shattered David. He did not foresee such disasters! After basking in the victory over the enemy Goliath, encounter with king Saul, entry into the palace, the songs of praise, marriage to Michal, being the king’s son-in-law; God was now preparing David to go through a period of afflictions and trials necessary to become a ‘man after God’s own heart.’ David did not realize it, though! How many of us perceive God’s goodness buried deep beneath the afflictions that we go through? Peeling of onion cause irritation to the eyes and makes it to shed tears; however, the good portion is buried beneath the outer layers of the onion. The Apostle Paul rightly says, in Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
David did not foresee the avalanche of trials and persecutions that he would have to encounter in his life. This was just the beginning of the journey, though, but still we see him devastated. The present heat seems to be unbearable, whereas God was preparing the furnace to be heated seven times hotter. As I read the above scripture, I was amazed how God took this broken man through the rough terrains of life before he finally brought him to his place of destiny. God had to remove David from the comfort of the palace in order to prove to David that “He is his only refuge.” The relationships you consider dear to you and the more you cleave to them, God would strip you off such relationships, in order to reveal that “He is your everything!” 74
It was a day before my husband’s birthday, we had gone to the bank to check out if there were any deposits, but we were disappointed because there wasn’t any, I stood there in front of the bank in despair, because I had nothing to bless my husband with, on his birthday. Just at that time, I received a call on my mobile and it was from the land owner to inform that our cheque had been bounced, never has this happened in our ministry. We were receiving knock after knocks, and I certainly felt drained and depleted. Is this what you call as the ‘fiery furnace that is seven times hotter?’ Surely, I could not take it! I write this portion with tears! When I think of that day, I still shudder. Oblivious to the people around me and unmindful that it was a public place, my eyes brimmed with tears. At that moment, I remembered the childhood days of poverty when we were thrown out of the house because we were not able to pay the rent. Satan cleverly brought the wrong things into my mind to shatter my faith. We asked time from the landlord and prayed for financial deliverance. I would like to state one thing here, despite the miserable condition we were in, we did not resort to using our credit card to draw cash, we did not borrow money, nor did we seek help from relatives or friends, all that we did was to fast and pray. As we went through this rough path, we learnt to fast much and pray much.
Dear friends, never despair when you go through troubles, we can have a glimpse of God only when we go through the fire. Even today, when I pass through that bank, I praise God for taking me through that path, because He taught me valuable lessons of handling money with caution and care. After that incident, I was able to compassionately look at people who are going through financial crisis. Glory to God! God will never deposit money into a pocket with a hole. Only after making a vessel into a good vessel, would He deliver money into that vessel. The vessel should have the capacity to hold blessings with wisdom! The storehouses of the Egyptians were handed over to Joseph, only after Joseph received training for 13 years inside his prison, without which he would have gone bonkers over the abundance that he received on one single day. It was the presence of God that was inside the prison that prepared Joseph for the greater things ahead of him. Glory!
