By: Donna Bucher
For thus saith the
Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved;
in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
Isaiah 30:15 (KJV)
I had one of those conversations with the Lord the other day;
you know the ones where He's clear on the directive, but short on details? My
heart eagerly moves toward obedience, but my mind races with incessant
questions. Experience reminds me, obedience first, but learning to rest without
the answers I want, continually challenges me to walk by faith, not by sight.
The need for answers paralyzed my efforts at obedience;
strapping me to a defeated walk by sight rather than by faith. A mindset that
not only hindered my spiritual walk, but kept me in a perpetual cycle of
anxiety and control seeking. Resting in God without all the answers seemed both
my ultimate freedom and my worst nightmare.
I have no argument with my need for rest; but my understanding
of what rest looks like in my days seems illusive. Overcoming Weariness in Well-doing, to the intentionality
of Finding True REST, He calls me to a place of abandoning what
ifs, how tos, and questions; a hiding place of rest.
Regardless of the many definitions or ideas we entertain about
rest, resting in God without all the answers requires a level of abandonment we
often avoid choosing. Incorporating the following five mindful attitudes
positions us for a walk based in faith, not sight.
Rest involves silence. Not outward silence; the silence
in your soul. Anxiety, questions, fear, and control seeking cause soul
disturbance. What needs silencing in your soul? Resting in God means silencing
the noise in your soul. "Truly
my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him."
(Psalm 62:1)
Rest involves stillness. The noise of emotion in
your soul often speaks louder than God's still, small voice. Drawing you away
from God's Word resulting in responses of fear, shame, defensiveness or
anxiety. Stillness of soul involves pausing quietly before God, so His voice
speaks peace to your soul storm. "Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world
gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
(John 14:27)
Rest involves dying to self. Choosing anxiety or
worry over resting in God without all the answers cripples your faith and trust
in God. Relinquishing your need for answers to all your what ifs, how tos and
questions involves dying to the selfish need for control. Placing your cares in
God's hands opens the door for soul rest. "Cast
all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1Peter 5:7)
Rest involves a place of quiet.
Separating yourself from the noise and distraction around you, provides a place
to hear and dispel the noise of your soul. Busyness keeps you in avoidance
mode, unable to properly confront the true issues troubling your soul. "But I have calmed and quieted
myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am
content." (Psalm 131:2)
Rest involves faith. Walking by faith means trusting
God's timing in His revealing all you need to know for each step of your
journey. Surrendering your need for all the answers before you step out in
faith leads to truly resting in God.
Lingering in these five mindful attitudes of rest provided a
nourishing respite from the soul noise stealing my peace. Shifting my
perspective from a "need to know"
all the answers before resting, to a "need
to trust" God for the answers unfolding with each step of
faith and obedience.
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Sounds like me. There is such truth in this in our obedience and living and resting by faith instead of sight.
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