Sister2Sister from Celeste
Truly my soul waits silently for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense,
I shall not be greatly shaken.
~ Ps 62:1-2
Good morning dear sister!
What a weird week I have had. It’s been quiet. Peaceful. I’ve spent a lot of time silently waiting before the Lord, thinking and praying. Before you start to think that I’m some sort of spiritual giant, allow me to disabuse you of that notion immediately! The truth is that the Lord has allowed covid to come upon me.
At first I was upset and angry. Why me? Why now? I’ve had to quarantine myself from family and friends. I’ve had to give up all my plans and activities! I’ve had to rest! Ugh! I hate to rest, I never take naps! The one word I heard from the Lord was the one I loathe to hear.
Me The Lord
What about my out of town company? “Rest.”
What about (gasp) Girls night? “Rest.”
The Missions Conference celebration? “Rest.”
The mission trip meeting? “Rest.”
Ministry class? “Rest.”
Bible study? “Rest.”
Connect group? “Rest.”
Cooking? Cleaning? Laundry? “Rest.”
Ice cream? "OK"
But I take comfort, the Lord has promised that I will not be ‘greatly’ shaken. So, I obediently entered into the presence and peace of the Lord, where I have found refreshment (better than ice cream!), renewal and a lot more sleep. You know what? Nothing fell apart, everything continued without me. Praise God! While He was taking care of me, He was still taking care of everything else! Of course!
As I spent more time contemplating, I began to realize that it’s not ‘me’ getting the work I do finished, but God’s Spirit working through me. But if I don’t set aside enough quiet time to listen, the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit gets drowned out by the clamor of my own human reasoning, will and desires.
Our American culture is very industrious, we’re not encouraged to sit and wait. We’re accustomed to instant results. It doesn’t come naturally to be still and wait, so sometimes the Lord has to shut me down until I remember to wait on Him. My mind has to be quieted from all the thoughts and input coming at me from a hundred different sources. My soul needs to rest. I need the refreshment of comfort and confidence in the Lord. Do you ever feel that way?
We have important responsibilities in this life, to be sure. We have been born into this world for God’s purposes! But we must keep in mind a balance of discernment between what God’s plan is for each of us and how we work that out in our everyday lives.
He truly is our Rock and our Defense! When we push His direction away and shove His truth to the dusty, dark corners of our mind, we begin to shake at the slightest rumble of the enemy. When we start paying more attention to worldly matters and less attention to Godly matters we become weak. Worse, we become deceived and our enemies rejoice!
In verses 5-7, David encourages his soul to return to rest before God, even in the presence of his enemies! In fact, he is even more confident in God’s power and provision! He moves from a place where he will not be ‘greatly shaken’ to a place where He will NOT be shaken at all!
When you feel afraid, put your confidence in the One who will make you courageous!
When the future seems uncertain, put your confidence in the One who holds your future!
When you feel you have no power, put your confidence in the One who holds ALL the power!
He is on your side! God only is your rock and your salvation! Hallelujah! Blessed be His name!
May the Lord strengthen you and build you up as you spend time with Him alone!
With much love, your sister, Celeste