Resting in the Lord

Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him...

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.

~Psalm 62:1, 5 (NIV)

This past weekend we had the pleasure of hosting some old friends who have a four-year-old, a two-year-old, and a brand new little two-month-old whom we'd never met before.  Beautiful children!

Our living quarters are not, perhaps, as child-friendly as they once were, back in the day.  (I'll need to do some preparation before grandchildren!)  Also, it rained.  To give the little children an opportunity to blow off steam, climb, run and jump safely, we went to the mall and hung out at the play place for awhile.  While we were there, in the midst of many excited preschoolers exerting their bodies and their vocal chords, I bobbled the littlest baby on my knees, upright, sitting facing me.  Under a bright skylight that opened above us, he fell asleep.  His little body went slack, and his dear little face tipped to one side.  As his shoulders sagged, his eyelids drifted downwards, and there he was, peacefully, trustingly asleep in my hands.  I pulled him close and rested his body against mine, cradling him soft and warm.  Amazingly, he slept for a long time, surrounded by all that noise and excitement.

Over the course of the time they were here, I also saw times when the children fought sleep with all their might, eager to stay up and not miss a thing.

It put me in mind of my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

I don't think I rest in Him very well, much of the time.  I fight for control, and I exert a ridiculous amount of futile effort presenting my agenda to Him and asking Him to bring it to pass.

He has it in His hands.  He isn't going to forget. He knows what is best.  His will is perfect, and He is perfectly able to accomplish it.

I make known the end from the beginning,

    from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say, ‘My purpose will stand,

    and I will do all that I please.’

~Isaiah 46:10 (NIV)

Is He trying to show me a better way to pray?

Instead of grasping, pleading, beseeching... should I try to lie back in the shelter of His wings and simply, childlike, trust Him to take care of it?  Like a little baby giving in to the peace of sleep, I need to learn to surrender my will to His, in faith, believing in His goodness, His attention, His concern, His faithfulness.

Like Jesus, I need to say, "Not my will, but Yours."  Then I need to rest in that.  I need to rest in Him.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty...

He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Psalm 91:1, 4 (NIV)