Looking for a Palce to Rest Your Weary Heart?

I remember the first summer we moved back to Arkansas. It was 1970 and I had just completed the 8^th grade in Tyler Texas. The move to a small town called Blevins was both sorrowful and exhilarating. I left behind good friends, but I was going to renew friendships with others and make new friends that I still cherish to this day.

Although it was June, that summer started out quite chilly. We had to use blankets at night! On June 3^rd of that year it dipped into the low 50’s in many parts of Arkansas. By July, it was back to record heat at 104 degrees! To say that Arkansas weather pattern is full of extremes is to put it mildly.

Again we see that crazy Arkansas weather working here. Tuesday night we had to turn on the a/c because it was plain hot and very humid (another Arkansas delight).  But last night we were scurrying for heavy blankets as it was in the low 40’s. Tonight’s call is for 30’s! Storms and rain abound as well.

You may have discovered that life is full of extremes as well. One moment it’s perfect weather and all is well. Not a problem in sight. No dark clouds of sorrow, no suppressing heat of trials, no chill of melancholy. You go to sleep comfortable and rested. But by morning all may change. The phone call, the news program, the envelope in the mailbox carrying news you never wanted to hear. The ups and downs in life can take their toll on the spirit and the body. If we’re not careful, the oppression will give way to depression and we’ll be unable to rest, no matter what.

Are you sweltering in the heat of hardships? Do you find no place to rest your weary heart? Are you thinking if only things would cool down you could relax? Maybe it’s chilly because you’ve been left to go it alone. The one who was with you has departed and you have no one to lean on. It’s hard to gather warmth when you’re alone.

Oh beloved, it’s time to settle in with the Lord  - the One Who made heaven and earth, the seasons and the changes. For He is your light in the night, your refreshing in the heat and your warmth in the chill. Life is hard and He knows that at times you have been to the point of despair, but He says to you again and again, “Never will I leave you or forsake you.”  And again He says, “I am your refuge and your fortress, your God in whom you can always trust”.  If you listen quietly you will hear His voice speaking sweet love words to you. All of His promises are yours, all of His qualities are for your very existence, all His Truth is your bastion of hope, your citadel of protection, your comforter in days that nothing else will do. Let Him hold you in His loving arms as He places His banner over your life. He knows, beloved, that it is hard, but He has promised that a new day will dawn and a better way will come. And, one day, He will come to get you and you will be hid in the depths of His love and His delight forever!

Isaiah 63:1 A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 31:7-8 I will be glad and rejoice in Your unfailing love, for You have seen my troubles, and You care about the anguish of my soul.  You have not handed me over to my enemies but have set me in a safe place.

Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Psalm 107:43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

Times May be Tough but God will Never Leave You!

On this day, 39 years ago, I walked the aisle to marry  my beloved husband. It would seem, just looking at the surface of things, that the odds were against us. I was too young. I was still in high school. We came from different backgrounds. We didn’t really know what we were doing. I walked the aisle to the bridal march amidst thunder and lightning and pouring rain! Everyone knows that a stormy wedding day is bad luck! It shouldn’t have lasted. But it did.

What we saw that day was none of the problems or issues that seemed to destine us to failure.  We just looked at one another and kept our eyes focused on the one thing that mattered. Love. All we wanted was to get married and live together the rest of our lives.  We knew this was love and we made our vows and somehow we managed to make it stick. As the song was sung that night, “There is Love”.

When we say yes to Jesus, we are in essence saying I Do. Many things can come against us. If we focus on those issues, we may find ourselves veering off the aisle of faith. But as we focus our sights on the Lord, He promises to keep us all the way to heaven.  Hard times will come. We’ll find that sometimes our desires aren’t the same as His and we have to make choices. Even when we make poor ones, He stays with us to guide us back to Himself. Love. All He wants is to love us and to have us love Him.  Because of His great love He makes this walk of faith stick.

Today may be a hard day for you. Maybe you’re facing decisions you don’t really want to make. Maybe you were left at the altar of life by someone you loved. Maybe you’ve walked away from God’s loving care and done your own thing. It could be that the hurts and pain of unrequited love have given you a bitter taste in your mouth and you see no way to love or be loved ever again.

Oh beloved, run to the Bridegroom of your heart! His Wedding Vows are set in stone and He’s placed them in a beautiful book of love so that you can go back and rehearse and renew your knowledge of His wonderful love and tender mercy. Everything He ever said about you, His beloved, in this book remains true no matter what! The storms of life will come, but He says to you this morning, “Oh beloved, come away with Me and let Me teach you all about My love! I will never leave you, I will never forsake you, I will continually woo you back to Myself no matter how you wander, no matter where you may roam. I AM the One who keeps you. I AM the One who loves you. I AM the One who keeps my eyes on your face for you are truly the apple of My eye. As you and I walk down the aisle of life together, I will hold you by My right hand. All you need to do is keep your eyes on Me. Together we can make this marriage work, for it is truly a match made in heaven!” Oh how He loves and protects you! Now that’s worth praising His name!

Deuteronomy 31:6  Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.

Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

Psalm 17:8  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings. (NAS)

Psalm 57:7  My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!

Jeremiah 31:3  Long ago the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved you, My people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.