I love this verse, but I don't think I've ever taken the time to really reflect on it. It's interesting that the psalmist tells his soul to return to rest. But when you first trust in God, there is an immediate peace that comes, for you know your safety; you trust His security if only for a moment. And then storms come: temptations arise. Trust is shake. Anxiety sneaks in to disrupt that peace. Circumstances drive you from the promised rest. As the psalmist, we also need to continue to prove that rest. The author of Hebrews tells us to strive to enter God's rest (v.4:11). We engage in the fight for joy. And the reason we do this, the reason we can rest is because The Lord has indeed dealt bountifully with us.
Romans 8 reminds us of these marvelous, condescending, gracious dealings -
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (v.31-34).
We can rest because the only person in the universe whose opinion matters loves us. God is the only one who can rightly judge, condemn and punish us, but because Jesus took our punishment, our slate has been wiped clean. We have no reason not to rest because God is for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment