It's Okay to Rest when Weary

 

Recently I came across a post on Facebook where the character, Snoopy, is crying huge crocodile sized tears about something. The caption advices him, "You don't have to do it all today.  Just breathe.  That's enough."   The accompaning song to the post suggests that he does not have to fight and keep score.  He does not  have to  prove himself to other people.  He just needs to rest in the Lord. 

Whether you are grieving things that are going on in our nation or perhaps something more personal such as the death of a loved one; you can be assured the Jesus heals, and one day there will no longer be any tears. In the meantime we can and must rest in the Lord.  We need to rest in him physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Matthew 11:28-30 says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. 

Let's heed to this command and invitation of our Lord Jesus to yoke ourselves to Him.  That is the only place where we will find rest and peace. 

Faith is Joy Even in the Midst of Heartaches

When our hearts are aching and circumstances around us are very difficult, is it possible to have joy?  For me personally, this past year or so has included some physical pain problems and also some heartbreaking situations involving loved ones of mine.   If we properly understand the concept of joy, however, it truly is possible to have joy no matter what is transpiring in our lives. We can experience joy in the midst of heartbreak and right along side emotional and physical pain.

I have been reading about joy in my devotions again this week.  That has been a huge blessing to me.  We need to remind ourselves that joy is not the same as happiness.  Happiness is based on perfect circumstances.  Joy is based on something much more profound.

Joy is only grounded in the Lord and not on our shifting and fickle emotions.  It is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  Yet we also need to be always pursuing it, because Satan's lies and our own emotions can so easily drag us down.  Personal heartaches and trials, loved one's illnesses and sorrows, and the conditions of the world around us can so easily discourage us.  We should feel sorrow and heartbreak over many things around us.  Yet our joy is found not in circumstances but in a Person, the Lord. Our joy is found in the character of the Lord.  He is always faithful and always loves His people with an eternal love.  He is also powerful to help us in our trials.

I remember in my younger years thinking that if I could just get through the next situation. then everything would be good. Yet my God was always faithful, and He was always present.  The Lord is the definition of joy.  I need to remind myself that He is also the definition of joy in current struggles. By faith in Jesus Christ we can experience joy despite the circumstances that we may be currently experiencing.

Peace in the Storms of Life

 

We have heard much in the news of late about devastating floods, massive fires, earthquakes, wars,  school shootings, and political shootings.  I don't know about you, but hearing about these events and knowing the turmoil these things are bringing in people's lives makes me sad.

Personal storms in our lives can do the same.  Sometimes they can make us feel very sad and discouraged. When feeling very troubled about something, I am often reminded through Scripture that I need to trust God in that situation.  I need to be quiet in that situation.  Isaiah 30:15b says, "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."  The feelings may not not all go away, but being reminded of this helps me immensely.   A song by Stephen Curtis Chapman also speaks about being quiet in the Lord.  The link to that song is below if you would like to hear it.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgaHaioAjyg

I remember the discouragement and sadness of seeing both my two husbands' bodies deteriorate step by step and the grief of losing them both to death. I also know the discouragement of bodily pain myself at times.  You may have similar feelings, dear Christian.  May the Scripture verse I quoted and song link about resting it with the Lord be a huge comfort to you.  God will always be faithful to you.

Another Scripture passage which is a huge comfort to me is found in the early verses of Isaiah 43.  It speaks of God summoning us by name and being with us through all the rivers and fiery challenges of life.  I wrote about that eight years ago at another blog site of mine called "Moments With God. " The link for that is below.  I hope you find this a comfort as well, dear child of God. 

http://scripturemoments.blogspot.com/2017/09/isaiah-43_14.html

Life's Puzzle Pieces

 

I have never been good at putting puzzles together.  It is not my talent, and I have never enjoyed trying to fit the pieces together.  I have seen completed puzzles, however, and often they portray beautiful scenes.

Sometimes it is difficult to see the completed product of my life's puzzles pieces as well.  It has been challenging sometimes to understand the Lord's plan in the overwhelming moments of my life.  God is so much wiser than I am, however.

Also I can know by faith that the Lord loves me and is meeting all my needs.  He has forgiven my sins,  and He is fitting what I perceive to be the missing pieces of my life into a beautiful picture.  When I look back on my life I can already see how He has used difficult times for His glory and my good.  I can begin to see how the pieces are fitting together.

 I will, however, never fully see the completed and big picture of God's love and wisdom until I reach eternity.  Yet as the picture above illustrates, my life is molded by the heart of God and by His love.  I may still see my life as having missing pieces, but He sees the beautiful finished product.  Philippians 1:6 (NIV) says, "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  He is fitting the puzzle pieces of my life together into something beautiful.  Dear child of God, trust that the Lord is also fitting the puzzle pieces of your life together into a beautiful mosaic of His love!

Contemplating God's Faithfulness

 

As I contemplate another year on this earth today on August 24, the song, "Great is Thy Faithfulness" is running through my mind.  There have been trials throughout my 77 years like the death of parents, the death of a dear sister, and the death of two husbands.  Yet the Lord has been faithful to me through it all. 

There has also been rich blessings throughout my life as well such as loving family; the graduations, professions of faith, and weddings of my grandchildren; my defeat of cancer by God's grace some years ago; and also my many years of walking with my faithful Savior.  

And when the time comes for my life to end, the Lord will hold my hand and will walk me into a future of joys and glory with Him in His presence.  Great is His faithfulness!

Below is a link to the song, Great is Thy Faithfulness."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErwiBz1QA4o&list=RDErwiBz1QA4o&start_radio=1

Joyful Dependence

 Our title to this post in an age of cultural high regard for rugged individualism and self-identity seems strange.  Yet the Lord calls us to find joy in dependence on Him.  He calls us to rejoice in our salvation more than our success.  I don't know about you, but I don't like being dependent on others.  I don't like asking people for help.  Yet the Lord instructs us to not only be dependent on Him but to be joyful about it as well.  A mature Christian will actually sing about their dependence in Christ.

Not only should joyful dependence on Lord be more important to us than worldly success, but it should also be more important than our gifts, talents and experiences.  Joyful dependence on the Lord should be even more important than successful ministry for the Lord. This is because it is so easy to become prideful of our gifts and talents and to forget that it was the Lord who gave us our gifts and talents in the first place. 

We should be joyful in our dependence on the Lord, because He is the only  One who can supply our earthly needs.  He is the only One who can save us eternally.  Our rejoicing should come from the fact that are names are written in heaven.  We should rejoice in His grace.  We should rejoice in whom we are in Christ and not in our accomplishments. Since we are by nature sinful and prideful, this can only come through the power and working of Christ and His Holy Spirit in our lives.  Thank You, Lord!

Part of joyful dependence is submitting to the Lord in obedience and in dependence.  The link to the song below talks about that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHJPwI1Qioo&list=RDdHJPwI1Qioo&start_radio=1

 

PS

If you did not see last week's blog post about singing praises to the Lord you can find it at the below link:

https://christiancaregiving.blogspot.com/2025/07/sing-and-praise-him-for-his-grace.html

Sing and Praise Him for His Grace

 

After punishing Pharaoh and the Egyptians with ten awful plagues Pharoah had released God's people, the Israelites, after 400 years of slavery.  Yet Pharoah hardened his heart, and he decided to pursue God's people  in the wilderness.  God performed a miracle that day.  God's people were able to cross the Red Sea on dry ground and Pharaoh and his soldiers were all drowned. Read this exciting story in Exodus 15 in the Old Testament of the Bible!

After this victory and miracle of the Lord God's people collectively and corporately burst into songs of praise for what the Lord had done for them that day.  They did so in response to God's actions for them that day and also in praise for God's character and attributes.  "Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted!" they sang.  Should we not also thank the Lord for all He has done and does for us? Should we also not continually sing praises to Him? Should we not also praise Him for His character?

You would think that after God's people witnessed such a huge miracle and display of God's power, God's people would not have soon forgotten this day.  You would think that they would have perfectly and continually trusted the Lord in future difficult situations. 

That did not prove to be the case, however.  Soon God's people landed in the Desert of Shur.  For three days they traveled in this desert without finding water, and when they did find water it was bitter and undrinkable.   Instead of trusting the Lord God to meet their needs, they immediately complained to Moses. God's appointed leader for them.  God did provide fresh water for them that day, but one has to wonder why they first had to pass through a crisis of unbelief that day.  

As A child I remember my Mom reading many of the Old and New Testament stories from the children's Bible story book. I remember wondering how God's people could so often fail to trust the Lord when He had proven His faithfulness to them over and over again.  Yet are we as believers today any different? The Lord has proven His faithfulness to us over and over also.  Yet we too often succumb to fear and panic at the next test and trial which life presents us.  Forgive me, Lord.  Help me to trust you more.  Thank You, Lord, for your grace and forgiveness.  I am so thankful for the wonderful grace of Jesus to cover all my sins. Below is a link to the song, "Wonderful Grace of Jesus!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsPc-Ix3_ow&list=RDvsPc-Ix3_ow&start_radio=1

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