There's this unique thing about little children, and babies alike; the fact that they sleep as though they never want to rise again when in the arms of their parents. Have you ever seen a baby sleep before now? He does that so effortlessly as though the person in whose arms he decides to rest can actually do him nothing. There's this confidence he has, that he can so rest without being afraid, and sometimes, it makes me wonder if someone had told him that the person in whose arms he is resting is his father or mother.
Well, to them, it really doesn't matter. They rest effortlessly. Have you even wondered as well why you may be able to rest or sleep confidently in your home but may never get to find that peace anywhere else especially when you go out? It is because you have this assurance that it is your home, and no harm whatsoever can come to you. There's this confidence that your parent are with you. It doesn't really matter to you, and you can remain confidently unconscious of yourself in your home, that is what it means to rest. Not to be conscious of your environment, or that which happens around you, why? Because you're confident in the fact that your environment is safe, and like babies, that their parents can't harm them. Praise God.
You see, having stated this, one would come to understand so very well the fact that it takes trust to rest. To remain confidently unconscious in the arms of another, or to do that in a particular place, it means that there's a level of trust that you have in that particular person, am I correct? If you can remain confidently unconscious in your home because you know your parent cannot hurt you, don't you agree that you also need to rest in the Lord? This will usher us into our study today, and I trust the Lord to teach us himself. Praise God. The passage of scripture under consideration is seen below,
"Rest in the Lord , and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." (Psalm. 37:7).
Often times, even as believers, we become too conscious of our environment, of what others do, and when one is that conscious of his environment, and what other people do, he would be unable to find rest. This is because for you to find rest, you must remain unconscious to your environment or the things people do. As believers, we are not to pattern our lives after other people. This is because there's a kind of unrest this creates in us. It makes you feel they are running faster than you are. It makes you feel they are progressing in their ways, and you're not. It makes you feel nothing is working in your favour. And the truth remains that when you begin to think of all these, there's no way you can find rest.
Imagine before you sleep in your home at night, you begin to think about people coming in, and breaking through the door. You begin to think about the cockroaches coming into your room, the sound from the mosquitoes, etc. If you think about all these, you will hardly find sleep or rest. For anyone to rest, you must first be unconscious of your environment, thoughts, people, etc. Many believers find it difficult to rest in the Lord, do you know why? Because they are too conscious of their environment, looking at everyone, and wanting to pattern their lives after them. Do you know why God had to cause a deep sleep in Adam? It was perhaps because if Adam was awake at the time God decided to carry out that operation, he would not have possibly allowed it, why? Because he would be *too conscious* of his environment, himself, and others. Praise God. This is also the reason when an operation is carried out on a person, it is not done when the person is conscious, the doctors do that when the person is unconscious (resting), and because the person normally will not decide to rest (to be unconscious), they make him rest (unconscious by force), injecting him with sedatives.
God had to do that for Adam, but now through his word, particularly in our anchor text, the scripture says to rest (be unconscious in the Lord), that is, to put our trust completely in him, and not to fret or worry because of what other people do, and what our environment suggest. It says not to fret yourself of him who prospers in his ways ( do not worry about him, and do not try to pattern your life after his), because of the man who brings evil devices to pass (don't worry about this as well), but to just rest in the Lord. What the scripture is saying is this, that we have to be confidently unconscious in the Lord, and not to be conscious of others or our environment. We have to trust the Lord wholly, and not to take our gaze off him. If you must be able to rest in him as his word has instructed, then you must be not be too conscious of yourself, environment, and others. The Lord help us in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thought for the day: The reason you have been unable to rest confidently in the Lord is because you have been too conscious of yourself, environment, and others. The Lord says to rest (to be conscious of him instead).
Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08053662272 or Email: [email protected].
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