In the last two weeks, I’ve written about misconceptions and lies that hold us back from abiding or resting in the Lord. This week I am finally ready to write about the joy this abiding brings.
Abiding or resting in the Lord sounded boring to me as an active child. I hated naps and loved to bounce out of bed early each morning. Resting sounded like punishment. So for all of you who may have thought this term of abiding or resting in the Lord sounds dull, I welcome you to learn what it really is, an amazing joy!
I don’t sit still too much, and as such some might think I don’t rest. I sit an hour or two in the afternoon on the computer, and an hour or so while I give a school lesson to my girls. Otherwise I rarely sit and even do multiple things at the same time throughout the day. Perhaps I also resist sitting still too much, because I hate needing nearly 9 hours of sleep each night, ugh. If I have to sleep that long each night, then I want to get things done the rest of the day. I don’t watch TV or movies (not even on my computer).
Yet I find I CAN rest in God, and abide in him, all day, even on busy days. Does this seem like a contradiction? My rest may not look peaceful on the outside (I’m washing dishes, cooking, cleaning, weeding, doing sit ups or push ups, etc.). On the inside I feel God’s calming rest. So I can wash those dishes, cook that food, clean and do other chores with a calm spirit. Somehow the work seems doable. And even when I’m working at a hard task, I know I’ll either get it all done or else my lack of times means God didn’t intend for me to get all that work done today. God wants me to get to bed at a decent hours (Psalm 127:2, “It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.”) I have to admit, I am moving a bit slower now, due to my thyroid acting up again (the levels are too low and the meds require a few months to get them adjusted). The hypothyroidism makes me a bit sluggish at times. But even at my slower pace, I have to tell God, “OK, this must be as much as you wanted me to get done today.”
I have to let go of extreme and unreachable expectations. I cannot have a perfectly clean house, because three other people live here, and they will be forever getting things out and forgetting them, dropping trash or crumbs and making messes. But I have a home with loving daughters. So I can forgive myself for being unable to keep up with everyone else’s messes. Weeds will always grow back, and flowers and leaves will die and need dead-heading. So my garden will never be perfect. But I can enjoy the green leaves and pretty flowers on days (or weeks) when I cannot get in the garden.
Resting or abiding in the Lord is often a mental state for me, one of peace while I happily do my chores. I get to serve God as a wife and mom. God delights me, so I want to work as joyfully as I can manage, lower thyroid function and all, (Cols.3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men.”)
Do I ever stop abiding in God and begin grumbling instead? Oh, too often. But the fault lies with my spirit, not the busy pace of my day. I could lose sight of God’s goodness on a quiet day too. When I let my flesh take control of my mind, I might complain and grumble or fear my problems. My daughters can testify to this.
For me to rest in the Lord, I must keep my thoughts on God. Of course I can cook, clean and mend while still keeping the Lord on my mind. Then I can wash my dishes with joy, often while playing Christian radio. Otherwise I might grumble.
I shared in my posts “Why We Praise God: Answers to Atheists Who say God is arrogant” and “Encouraging Hurt Believers through God’s Praise”about my praising God and in “Joy in Prayer Journaling” about my prayer journaling, so I won’t go into detail about those things here. When I dedicate quiet time to read my Bible and pray and also prayer journal (I write out prayers) and then later pray anytime I need or want to talk to God, I keep God on my mind.
This resting in the Lord includes my telling God I will surrender my worries to Him. Even if it is a big financial scare, I remind myself God not only owns the thousand cattle on a thousand hills, but God even owns those thousand hills. He owns everything. As such, he can provide for me (Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.”) When those fears creep up again, I remind myself I gave them to God already. And because I battle my flesh, the fears do pop into my mind again. I have had bad days when I let my fears overwhelm me. But I am getting better at recognizing my fear and re-surrendering to God sooner.
So now that I have confessed that I do not perfectly maintain my rest in the Lord, I can share how wonderful this rest and abiding in the Lord is, when I do it! Time spent reading my Bible is sweeter, because I have slowed down and no longer feel an obligation to read my entire Bible in a year. I still read quite a bit, but it is currently in a Bible commentary and study Bible, on top of my Bible reading. Since the commentary and notes in the study Bible take me a while, I have to read and re-read my Bible, so I don’t get ahead in the Bible and behind in the other two books. Yet this re-reading has been so meaningful to me. I have learned to savor those verses and better understand them. The commentary and study Bible also give me great insights, because some really thorough Bible scholars wrote these books that I enjoy. From the hard work of those Bible scholars, and also my own re-reading of my Bible, I really consider what I am reading and find it comforts me. And as I shared in my post about prayer journaling, I also prayer journal, and this also helps me slow down as I copy some verses and then write my prayers about those verses.
If there are verses about God’s love, I read them many times, not just twice. I am one who really needs to be reminded of being loved, since I grew up in a home where my parents had trouble showing me they loved me. They did love me, but I had trouble feeling it, and they found me a bit hard to love too, since I was a bit shy and sensitive, but both of my parents were more practical and tough minded. For me, verses about God’s love are essential as iron is for a gal who has become anemic. For someone else, verses about wisdom might be essential if a gal grew up in a home where wisdom was lacking. I suspect we gravitate to verses that help to fill up the gaps in our souls, and this is wise and right for us. I believe the Bible helps us to show ourselves the compassion our loved ones either could not give us in our childhood home, or what they cannot give us today. Even the best spouse or child cannot fully give to a woman, because only God can fill her up. We cannot rely on even the kindest person (our best friend, mom, sister or friend), because those people are limited humans. But God is limitless, and he can meet all of our needs.
So when we rest in the Lord, we are accepting all the things he offers that we lack. Is a gal fearful? She might spend time re-reading verses about God’s ability to help her overcome her fear. I just love the way God can meet our individual needs! As I said last week, God wants a mutual relationship with us. He wants to hear from us, even the harsh emotions, and he wants to share his plans with us, via our Bible and via the whispers the Holy Spirit gives us through our conscience. God is so kind, so personal! I feel this love of his in this way, and I am so delighted. I am delighted with God.
Because I invest in quiet time with the Lord, I always feel his love. Sometimes everyone in my house is grumpy or even mad at me. Even when I feel like no one at home is pleased with me (or even likes me), God is pleased with me. He sees Christ’s goodness in me, not my sins. Because I’ve invited Jesus to live in my heart, I feel his love and forgiveness. As a result, when everyone else is grumpy in my home, I still feel Jesus’ joy and his delight in me. I still feel loved and loveable.
This is an amazing love. It defies everything the world could ever offer, because this is a constant love. Jesus doesn’t need to sleep (now that he is in his glorified body). I can call out to him I the middle of the night and always feel his love.
In my earlier posts “Abiding in the Lord, part 2 Resisting the Blocks to Our Rest” and “Why Abiding in the Lord is Hard” I talked about how Jesus always wants me close to him, even after I’ve sinned and asked for his forgiveness. He is so kind.
And I do physically rest during the day. Nearly an hour before bedtime I have some more quiet time (prayer, Bible or Christian books, or if I must do chores, easier ones). And although I read while standing, I read quietly and don’t read stressful books in the evening.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, perhaps to turn to my other side. I never open my eyes, but I know I’m smiling, and I think of Jesus and say, “Jesus, I love you.” I feel so secure in his love (and of course in my comfy PJ’s and soft bed).
So whether I’m doing chores or sitting (sitting at the computer and sitting while giving my girls a school lesson –5 nights of lessons per week) or reading quietly in the evening, I am abiding in the Lord. I am trusting him to protect and guide me. I feel his friendship, and I trust his promises.
My life has not been easy. My first marriage (so destructive) ended in divorce. I experienced multiple miscarriages before my healthy twins. I’ve had people I love die unexpectedly. I’ve experienced many other sorrows, so I don’t want to sound like a gal who led a charmed life. I feel God’s love, not because I’ve never suffered, but because he never abandoned me while I was suffering. He has always seen me through. As a result, I know I can trust him. I can rest in him, abide in him. I can keep him in my thoughts all day. I can seek to please him. And I can simply relax and trust him.
This is not a “complete” description of abiding in the Lord, but it covers many aspects of the joy I’ve experienced by abiding in him. Please feel free to share with me any way you’ve enjoyed abiding in the Lord too. I love to learn from other women.
I pray we’ve blessed you this week with our post. Thanks for joining us this week!