Resting isn’t always about taking a nap, or taking it easy. It is also about where I choose to land, or settle.
Google defines rest as:
2. be placed or supported so as to stay in a specified position.
“her elbow was resting on the arm of the sofa”
synonyms: lie, be laid, repose, be placed, be positioned, be supported by
“his hands rested on the rail”
I am like a weary worn bird returning to her nest during a wind storm. I place myself in His more than capable hands. He supports me in this journey which is sometimes difficult and painful. Yet when I take the time to remember that I am in His Presence, it is a joyful journey regardless of the terrain. I choose to nestle into His arms. He holds me up when I would otherwise fall down.
January till now has tested my rest promise…You know the one found in Isaiah about peaceful dwelling places, secure homes and undisturbed places of rest?
There was an act of vandalism on my block…a bird in my house and now one of my gutters hangs by a thread resting on the electrical wire bringing power into my house.
Coming home this month has felt more like something to be avoided or dreaded. Perhaps an experience even coupled with a little fear. Then I would remind myself of His promise. Peaceful dwelling places, secure homes and undisturbed places of rest. And now there’s February’s meditation:
Exodus 33:14 says, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
His Presence is here amidst flapping wings and gutters, potential power outages and vandalism. He is where I land, where I take refuge. Not my couch.
And so here I am where He is. And He is where I am.
I rest not because my circumstances are ideal. I rest because He is with me.