Resting Shoes

"Be at rest once more, o my soul, for the Lord has been good to you."(Psalm 116:7)

What are "resting shoes"? Are they available at the local department store? Can you find them on the clearance racks of a nearby shoe store? No. Resting shoes are offered freely, but rarely taken. They are available on a daily basis but usually ignored.

Instead, we plow ahead with our "I've got this" shoes and exhaust ourselves with the endless striving to accomplish what we think needs to be done. "Worry Shoes" are often a chosen alternative. Anxious lists of what may happen take the place of what has already happened.

And what has already happened? Our rest has been secured through Jesus Christ. He has secured our future rest by defeating death. Because of Jesus we rest on the hope of eternal life which God promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2). The rest presented to believers every day is built upon this future hope, but also upon the strength of who God is. He is the Creator of things seen and unseen. He is Loving. He is Merciful. He knows us by name. He knows the hairs on our heads!
This is why David can state in Psalm 62:1:

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Consider Psalm 91:1:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

Why do we find it so difficult to rest? Perhaps rest seems inactive and we want action...NOW. Perhaps it is a little scary. Perhaps we are in so much pain that we simply can't rest.

Dear Sisters, please know that my husband and I have endured some searing pain given at the hand of those who profess faith in Christ. At the very beginning of all that happened, God placed a beautiful hymn in my mind. It is a hymn that I had not thought of for many years. It became my daily song. God was telling me to REST. I do not know the author of the following words, but I encourage you to consider putting on the"resting shoes" that God offers.

"Jesus, I am resting, resting; in the joy of what Thou art. I am finding out the blessing of Thy loving Heart."