When you are stressed out, how do you handle it? When hard times come what/who do you blame? What comforts you when you’re stressed?
Psalm 62
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. 3 How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down this leaning wall, this tottering fence?4 Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. 5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. 9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.10 Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. 11 One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God,12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.”
Vs. 1 - rest is found only in God.
Vs. 5 - mind, will, emotions -- these placed in God gives rest.
Vs. 7 - Honor - public esteem - respect and fame(how much strength is exerted defending ourselves?)
Vs. 8 - Trust - assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth in something or someone.
Vs. 9-10 - Things not to trust in... wealth, social standing. Though you may gain what you want the wrong way, don’t rest it in.
Vs. 11-12 - Strong - the ability to do what He says.
Loving - affectionate and favorable towards us. He cares for us and has the ability to overcome anything in this world to prove it.
Romans 8: 35-39-- Nothing can overcome His love.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Vs. 1 - Shadows are dark Vs. 4 - It's dark under His wing. Rest without the fear of exposure of weakness.
Vs. 2 - Trust in God
Vs. 3 - Things that actively attack, He can save you from them.
Vs. 9 - Dwelling - a place you go.
Vs. 11 - God does the work. You rest.
Vs. 13 - Lion - Cobra - Devil... He's defeated.
Vs. 14-15 - What we need to do... Acknowledge His Name -- Make God God... call upon Him.
Isaiah 30:15, 18-21
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! 19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
What to do if we are away from God
Vs. 15 - Repentance - lining our thoughts up with His. Rest... busyness leads to death.
Quietness -- when we stop talking we can hear Him talk.
Trust -- Believe Him... wait for Him. We can't do our own thing if we are waiting. We can't say our own thing if we are quiet.
Vs. 19 - Cry out. Talk to Him.
Vs. 21 - God sends us difficulties that He does not block or remove, but gives us insight on what's going on and what choice to make.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Vs. 28 - Go to Him.
Vs. 29 - Learn from Him. Find rest for your soul.
Vs. 30 - Walking with Him is easy.
Read Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Vs. 25 - Focusing on temporal things causes us to miss eternal things.
Vs. 27 - worry is totally useless.
Vs. 30 - Little faith equals no trust.
Vs. 33 - Seek, Ask, Call out.
Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Vs. 6 - Pray, ask.
Vs. 7 - Peace will guard our souls. I love that it doesn’t say that God is going to give you an exhaustive answer to your problem. He says that His peace will transcend your understanding and guard your hearts and minds. No matter what the solution is, whether you know it or not, seek Him and you will feel okay about it.
Seek! Ask! Rest!
Matthew 10
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everything you need, God is able to take care of. Seek Him out and ask Him for what you need. This allows you to focus on what’s important and rest in His peace. Do not be overwhelmed by things that are God’s responsibility. God cares for you. Set your perspective to line up with His. If you see things like God does, you will understand that He loves you and has worked out your future.
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