True Rest

I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

Your praise is rest in its truest expression.

The battles that have come against you in recent days have been relentless, like waves of discouragement and situations that seem to never stop arising, like layers of disillusionment that seem to have no end. The attacks on your mind have been at a level of intensity you didn’t feel prepared for, even though you tried to prepare.

The confidence, the peace that you once knew not that long ago seem to have vanished, and a fog of confusion and doubt have settled down like a thick blanket in their place.

This is not a message of dread and despair, it is real. Reality. The battle you face as you follow the Lord in these last days is more real than any sermon or well-intentioned pep talk has ever prepared you for. And, to say anything less is to be unloving because it would not be real.

The reality of this present darkness that you are battling must be acknowledged.

So that,

So that the reality of the truth of Who fights for you can be seen rightly.

And with that, I must tell you,

first,

you are not alone. You are NEVER alone.

Christ Himself faces these demon hordes and spiritual arrows with you. He is with you in the fire.

Never lose sight of His Ever-present Presence.

Second,

if that battle seems too much for you to bear,

you are not alone.

Many are experiencing this same fierce reality and equally feel the sting and weight of its perceived loneliness too.

There is an army, a sheepfold of warriors walking this narrow path beside you.

And third,

when you don’t know what to do and your hands feel tied and helpless,

you have a weapon that has more power than this overwhelming darkness.

It is the weapon of truest rest in God to fight for you, and it is wielded through praise.

Worship.

Worship of Jesus, of Yahweh God. It is a choice of your will to look up to the One Who can save, Who can fight, and say,

“I praise You, I believe in You and I believe You will fight this battle on my behalf, in fact,

the battle has already been won.

I don’t see a solution, I don’t see a way to overcome this present darkness rising against me,

but You.

I will praise You, I will honor You by believing You are Who You say You are. Believing that You are above, High and Lifted Up, that you WILL come,

and so I will say it aloud, I praise You God. The One Who fights for me, the One from Whom my help comes.”

Worship is a decree of trust. Trust is the choice of absolute surrender. Absolute surrender is rest in its truest form.

So pick up this weapon of worship by lifting your eyes to the hills,

see your Victor standing on that hill and say,

“I worship You God, You have already won.”

Then lay down by that table in the green pasture beside the still stream of His love,

and take a nap in the presence of your enemies.

I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Song of Solomon 2:4