You
know that you live in the country when a herd of deer wander through your yard
on the way to the woods across the street, or when you have to stop in the
middle of the street for a flock of turkeys to finish crossing over to the
other side of the road, or when a "traffic jam" consists of fewer
than five cars at the same intersection, or when playful wild cubs frolic on
your back deck.
Country
living is slower-paced, unless we choose to fill our schedule with busyness. It
is serene, and the surrounding nature and fields of crops de-stress our soul
and allow us to breathe more deeply as we watch the hay, wheat, corn and
soybeans mature into the harvest.
It
is also a lazy afternoon on the porch swing, a stroll through the neighborhood,
fields of wildflowers left fallow for a season; a cup of tea on the back porch
as we watch the butterflies, bees and hummingbirds in our flower garden - the
perfect place to read God's Word as it fills our spirit with His truth, etc.
However,
the rest of God provides us with this same repose and tranquility no matter
where we live. When our spirit and soul have entered God's rest (Hebrews 4:10),
it offers a calm atmosphere, even in the busiest city, the most congested
neighborhood, or a noisy community.
We
follow the leading of God’s Spirit through the ear-splitting noise and hectic
pace of our life. He brings order from the chaos, and peace in the confusion.
He replaces our stress with His rest, if we will only surrender every facet of
our life to Him.
The
first step in entering God’s rest is to spend uninterrupted, quality time with
Him (Mark 12:30). Then, walking in His presence moment by moment, through the
duties of our day, brings contentment and peace. God helps us to prioritize our
time and activities.
As
we live one moment at a time, Christ within us directs us to do what pleases
Him. When we praise Him and follow His Spirit, He will allow us to excel in all
of our efforts, to finish what He requires of us, and to meet the needs of all
the people to whom He wants us to minister.
Prayer:
Father
God, exhort us to rest in You while You work out the issues, which are
distracting us from living in Your peace and rest. We trust You with our whole
life, because we have faith in Your faithfulness. Our soul finds rest in You,
and our hope comes from You (Psalm 62:5).
When
we see our agitation rising inside of us, prompt us to discover the source of
the negative emotions and to seek Your wisdom on how to deal with them (2 Corinthians
10:5). Nothing and no one can come against us to overpower us, because You live
within us (Psalm 27:1). Remind us to be still, and to acknowledge that You are the
Lord over our life (Psalm 46:10).
Thought
for the Day:
We
all have hectic activities swirling all around us; however, as we walk in the
Spirit, God gives us a quiet refuge, supernatural strength, and His constant
help in any difficulty we experience.
