The world is messy right now and I’m struggling to find my voice.
By nature, I’m a pleaser and always struggle with the notion that I might say the wrong thing, so often I remain silent. I think the biggest struggle I’ve had is with the radical differences of opinion between people I know, people who are in loving relationships with one another. And yet, there is tension.
I am craving a safe place. I want some rest. I know, there is hard work to be done and God’s people need to be about the business of reconciliation. As with most social issues, the answer is found in loving people the way that God loves. Unconditionally.
So this morning, as I drink my coffee from a real cup, sitting in my favorite spot…the smell of bacon cooking in the oven and the sight of my dear husband reading across the room, I remember that God has been speaking a word over me this year.
Rest. I don’t have to solve this problem today.
I began searching the Bible for verses about rest. On a day that I have much to do, I wanted to find a reason to linger in this sweet spot.
“And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace,
for his God had given him rest on every side.” – 2 Chronicles 20:30
Lovely verse, but I wanted to know more about this peace. I backed up and read the rest of the story.
Their current reality was the threat of a vast army. In fact, they had no hope of defense. Jehoshaphat led the people in prayer, one of the most simple, beautiful prayers I’ve ever read:
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.
The words settle on my heart and I read on.
God answered; the people followed his instruction. They sang a simple chorus as they went about the business he called them to:
Give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever.
As they walked in obedience toward the battlefield, eyes on God, they made a startling discovery. Their enemy lay slaughtered in the valley below. The battle was over.
The human heart wants what it wants. It is a place of great deceit. I don’t trust mine. I’ll go with Jehoshaphat instead. I find rest in this:
Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the vast army.
For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
Whatever battle or struggle you are facing friends, it is his to fight. Walk forward in what he has called you to do, praising him for who he is and what he has already done.
He’s got this.
Resting by his grace alone,
What if I told you this mom of three, transitioning to a new school in the Fall, also managed to raise awareness and gather a huge quantity of needed items for a local fostering agency?
Grace and Graffiti 