A few weeks ago a friend recommended reading Psalm 91. I have seen it posted on social media a lot. I have read Psalm 91 almost everyday over the past few weeks, I am amazed at how fitting it is for such a time as this. This morning I was stuck on verse 1, I broke it down. It says:
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1-2
What beautiful scripture. What alive scripture.
The word shadow here is translated from "tsel" which means shade, its referring to the protection shade offers one from the sun or elements. Think about stretching out under a covered porch, feeling the nice breeze blowing after you have spent time working under the scorching sun. What a relief it is when you finally get to rest your feet and cool your skin.
The word "rest" here is translated from "luwn" which means to lodge, stop over, pass the night, abide. That definition is really no surprise, that is basically what we think of when we say the word rest. The nerd in me loves to break down words, find their origins, study their meaning, and use synonyms. One of the definitions that Merriam-Webster uses for abide is to remain stable or in a fixed state.
To remain stable or in a fixed state. Hmm. That's something to think about. Friends, I don't know about you but these last few weeks our entire world seems the complete opposite of stable! I certainly feel unstable a good portion of the time.
This evening when we were watching our church's live stream Bible study, Jonah insisted he sit with us and have a Bible, too. Halfway through I look over and see him laying down with the Bible still open on top of him.
He was so sleepy (it was almost bedtime) and just needed to rest. I am blown away that God gave me this very clear illustration of what we all should be doing right now. We should be resting in the Lord. All the worrying, planning, hoarding, and disinfecting cannot and will not wipe out this virus. (That doesn't mean we shouldn't be wise and clean, God did give us brains.) This virus is going to continue to spread and things are going to be hard for a while. But do you know what the beauty is when things are hard? People are looking for the Lord in the middle of it. When we finally realize what is out of our control, it is then we can see WHO does have control.
Friends, during this time it can be easy to complain about what we don't have right now.
We can't congregate to worship in our sanctuaries. BUT WE ARE THE CHURCH. Worship where you are, spread the Good News, show the world what God has to offer them.
We can't go eat at restaurants. Bring family dinners back, spend time talking, have a game night.
We can't enjoy our kid's favorite sports. Use this time to bond and teach your child an essential life skill like laundry, gardening, changing the oil, taxes.
How spoiled are we that we are able to quarantine ourselves in our climate controlled homes with plenty of food, technology to still see our loved ones, and access to great medical care. I pray we will change our attitudes. I pray that when we can safely fellowship again, we will have a renewed thanksgiving of what we once took for granted. I pray we use this time to grow His kingdom.
DWELL in the Lord's Shelter. Read your Bible. Communicate with Him.
REST in His protection. Be still and know who holds your life, who is in control. And if you don't have this peace, please message me, I would love to talk. <3
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