For There We Will Find

I was walking down the sidewalk one day; the sun was out blazing, blue skies, for sure a beautiful day. There was a tree reaching out its branches, which overhung the concrete walk a bit, providing a little small area that was shaded.  It may have been 1” wide by 3” long, it was just off to the side of the walk and there it was, this little grasshopper couldn’t have been more than an inch long just chillin’ in this little spot of shade provided by this tree and I thought wow what an image of how we too can rest in the shadow of the Lord especially when the sun is out blazing and the heat is turned up. 

Have you ever felt just tired, tired of doing life running around day in and day out, seems like you just can’t get enough accomplished like you wish there was more time in the day.  The Lord says “Rest in His Shadow”.

How about life itself, it’s finally catching up to you, with all the family drama and bills, you’re falling behind and the pressure is mounting, the arguments are persistent, the kids talk back or isolate themselves, and are in their own world and you feel your family is falling apart.  The Lord says “Rest in His Shadow”.

Let’s go to the Word of God, turn with me if you will to Psalm 91:1:

 “He, who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

This verse speaks so much volume.  So what the Lord is saying here is this; if we dwell in His shelter (now remember we do this by living in His word, letting Him consume our daily thoughts and direction) then we will be able to rest in His shadow, the Bible says in Philippians 4:7:

^“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Is it rest and peace you desire?  I believe we all are looking for that.  Well, that rest and that peace is found in His shadow, so like the little grasshopper in my story above find that shady spot in life and run to it.  Turn with me if you will to Psalm 36:7:

How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God!  And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

So, the Lord actually is depicted here as standing next to us with His wing out over us, isn’t that thought  just picturesque to imagine that our God as sovereign and Holy as He is, stands over us to one protect us and two to bring us rest and confidence in Him that He is who He says He is.

Let’s look at Deuteronomy 32:11:

“As an eagle stirs up its nest, it broods over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings” in brooding over us that is also us resting in His shadow.

This too is a great depiction of God and how He cares so much to brood over us like an eagle does to its chicks, then the Lord will carry us away on His wings.  What a beautiful image of our God.

God does bring us rest as it says in Matthew 11:27-29:

Rest for the Weary
All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father.  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. 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.…

I would like to just run through a few more reaffirming scriptures that the Lord put on my heart to share. You see the Lord knows we will get beat up and that persecution will come our way.  He knows life will weigh on us very heavily and so that is why in His Word He goes on to tell us to rest in Him, that He will lift our burdens.  He loves us and wants to carry us through the storms of life, but it is we who have to let Him in, it’s time that we rest in His shadow.  His shadow is like a plush pillowtop bed with a down comforter, with Egyptian cotton sheets, and down pillows.  His rest is like snuggling up in all that on a nice crispy cool day.  Yeah, you know what time it is, it’s rest time and time to rest in His shadow.  Let us read Isaiah 28:12:

“To whom He has said: “This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.”  

Jeremiah 31:25

“For I will refresh the weary soul and replenish all who are weak.”

One last story and it comes from 1^st King 19:1-9

1 King Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah did and how Elijah had killed all the prophets of Baal with a sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah and said, “I swear that by this time tomorrow, you will be just as dead as those prophets. If I don’t succeed, may the gods do the same or worse to me.”

3 When Elijah heard this, he was afraid. So he ran away to save his life. He took his servant with him, and they went to Beersheba in Judah. Then Elijah left his servant in Beersheba 4 and walked for a whole day into the desert. Then he sat down under a bush and asked to die. He said, “I have had enough, Lord! Take my life. I am no better than my ancestors.”

5 Then Elijah lay down under the bush and went to sleep. An angel came to him and touched him. The angel said, “Get up and eat!” 6 Elijah looked around, and by his head there was a cake that had been baked over coals and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then went back to sleep.

7 Later the Lord’s angel came to him again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat! If you don’t, you will not be strong enough to make the long trip.” 8 So Elijah got up. He ate and drank and felt strong. Then Elijah walked for 40 days and nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. 9There Elijah went into a cave and spent the night.

This is a great depiction of when we are stressed,  maybe it seems the walls are closing in, maybe there are all sorts of things going on around us and we are at the point of just saying  Lord I can’t take it anymore. So what does the lord have Elisha do? Yes that is right, he rests and eats. Elisha rests in the shadow of the Lord and is restored.  This is what He wants for us…so let Him be our resting place today.

Amen to that, yes?  Okay, so to my family, I charge you to go rest in the Lord, for He has made it abundantly clear that we are to do that.  He has His arms open and His shadow space cleared for you to come in and rest.

 Shalom Shalom