The Appointed Rest of the Heart

Every once in a while we need to hear a truth that makes us stop and think.  I have been soaking up verses in my quiet time this week that pull me into the habit of resting deep within the heart of the Father.  Over and over, He calls us to know him and to understand what it means to really KNOW Him. And yet, we hold back.

Hebrews 4:1 says, “ Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still holds and is offered today, let us be afraid to distrust it, lest any of you should think he has come too late and has come short of reaching it.”

Then in verse 10 and 11 we read, “For he who has once entered God’s rest also has ceased from the weariness and pain of human labors, just as God rested from those labors, peculiarly His own. Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest of God, (to know and experience it ourselves), that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience [into which those in the wilderness fell].”

To rest in God,  is to stop striving in human endeavors.

To rest in God, is to cease from creating the chaos that robs us of His joy.

To rest in God, is to let go of the weariness that steals peace from our living.

He offers rest for all who choose to come and receive. {So will you?}

I had the privilege to pour into precious hearts from the abundance of God’s Word recently. It was glorious to see women love on one another and pray together.  Watching others praise God took my breath away, and at times brought tears to my eyes. All I kept thinking was, ‘this is exactly how we are supposed to act.’

• We are meant to be the encouragers of finding His rest in our daily toil.(1 Thes 5:11)
• We are meant to lift one another up in fervent prayer. (James 5:16)
• The beauty of corporate praise is that it is the habitation of God. (He inhabits the praise of the people.) (Ps 22:3)

The more I come to see the need for every heart to be relieved from the weariness which our own choices create, the  clearer I see His heart for His children.

I  am awestruck at the omnipotent wonder that is this Holy God we call Father. I am shaken to my core at the severe lack of worthiness I feel as I come to His throne, but Hebrews 4:16 tells me to come boldly to receive both grace and mercy.

{Friend, where are you at today in your approach to resting in God?}

Don’t get stuck in the  labor and the weariness of your own crafting, release your heart into the very capable hands of the Father who has been able to look upon you and see your end from your beginning.(Psalm 139)

God is   your refuge. He is where we must flee to receive indwelling strength and strong encouragement so that we can grasp and hold fast the hope that is appointed FOR us and set BEFORE us.(Heb 6:18)

{Did you get that?} HOPE… it is already appointed to you and set before you, and out of necessity we must flee to the only refuge which can strengthen the battered heart, the broken spirit, and the chaotic mind that keep us from existing in hope at all.

Today, more than anything I want to tell you that His heart for you, his plan, is full of Love. The heart of a  woman is surely the garden of God and as he tills up the soil of this beating house of the Holy, then we must establish its contents upon the Truth. Jesus is that Truth. ( John 14:16) Upon this cornerstone of the sanctuary of hope, love resides and fills the rooms with pleasant riches.   His love is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit(Romans 5:5 ), and in that power there is abundance with not one ounce of lack.

God has a plan for our days, but when we fight against the goads, we are kicking the stone walls that are built to keep us in.  Don’t fight His plan, rest in it. It is Good. It is Good. It is Good. Even if  we don’t understand it, it is good. Especially when we want to give up, it is good. He has a purpose for every passion you are travailing through, and the ultimate result is that it will be good. ( Romans 8:28)

In hope we find the rest that is appointed for us deeply nestled in the bosom of the Father.

Dwell in Hope, Rest in Grace, and Soak in Love.

I am so excited to share an opportunity to grow and reap the power of His Word with you this summer. Starting on  Saturday, June 14^th, I will be sharing a Bible Study based on a talk I recently gave at a Ladies Retreat.  This study is going to take us through the 54^th chapter of Isaiah, and for the next 15 weeks we are going to walk together, reading His Word, digging deep into the flesh of our hearts, rooting out all that doesn’t belong there, and planting  the Living Word of God in its place.

 I hope you will join us. It will be posted here on Journeys In Grace and also over at lovely Jen’s site, Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood. I will link the pdf for  each week up in my post, and, also, in the download section of my website.  I hope you will join us and get in on the discussion.  I will be asking questions and sharing truths that the Heavenly Father has been showing me about learning to rest in His power to rescue, redeem and restore my sometimes battered heart.   I can’t wait to hear from your precious hearts as we rest in his goodness.

{So, tell me dear one, what keeps you from entering His rest today?}

Jump in.. it isn’t too late. It is being offered and extended on the olive branch of hope and he is just waiting to fold you in and fill you up so that you overflow.

Blessings, Peace, & Rest to you!

With Love,

Linking up with :

Lyli @Thought Provoking Thursday

Carmen @ Thriving Thursdays

Crystal @ Serving Joyfully

Julie @ Fellowship Fridays

Laura @ Missional Women