8-Sep-14

It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones. Psalm 127:2I lie here restless and awake.  My heart cries out to you, ‘let me sleep!  Take away my burdens, I need rest’.  Then I remember the verse….Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28My soul feels the rest, like a scene from a pastoral scene, still waters, a barrier of green, and above the sky blue sky, with lazy drifting clouds like marshmallows hovering over me.  In the distance I hear the lullaby-song of a bird.But, how about the mind, the restless mind that goes on unbidden quests.  The mind replays scenes from the past and what-if scenarios of the future.  When I rest in you, my mind rests, too.  Filled with images of the WHO Jesus is. Shepherd, Lover, Truth, Way, Light, Forgiver, Comforter,  and Sacrificer.  He is my brother and my Lord.  There is no one like Jesus.This is the verse Mom shared with me in 1979, as she left the hospital and my Dad, in the hospital after a heart attack, to get some sleep.  In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.  Psalm 4:8.  Her faith amazed me then.  And amazes me yet.The glory of Your holiness / The mercy of Your faithfulness / Is it any wonder / Is it any wonder – we sing….(Philips, Craig, Dean).  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS26JvF125c“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me. Jeremiah, 31:25-27