God has been speaking to me a lot about rest and comfort recently. It's great to enter His rest! It's great to be comforted by Him! It's amazing to be perfectly set at peace by the Lord. And this rest, this comfort, really came to pass in my life yesterday, and it was such a blessing from the Lord. In many ways, it came as a fulfillment of prophecy.
Like I said, the theme of rest was fulfilled throughout the day yesterday. And He gave me rest, so that I could praise Him fully. He gave me time alone to spend with Him. He gave me rest on every side. Wherever I turned, I saw him at work, and I was comforted with a message from Him. I watched a lot of TV, yes, but I received from the Lord even more quickened messages. I received from the Lord's mercy such rest and comfort.
Below are confirmations that led up to that point. In hindsight, God was showing me about the reality of His rest long before I experienced it yesterday!
Confirmed 1/12/15: That night I was reading in 1st Kings. I kept reading about peace--the Lord was giving Solomon rest on every side. What strikes me as important is why God did this. He did it because Solomon pleased Him! He did it because it pleased Him that Solomon would build Him a temple. God honored the desires of His servants, firstly with David and then with his son Solomon. God gave Solomon rest so that Solomon could set up a life of worship for the people.
"But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster." 1 Kings 5:4
Confirmed Yesterday: The Holy Spirit brought to remembrance Psalm 23:5. There were several confirmations for this verse...and I had it playing and replaying in my hear for much of the day:
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."
Spiritually speaking, believers today have enemies as real as those of King David. However, our enemies are not flesh and blood like his. Instead, they are systems of this world and spiritual powers of darkness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). The good news is that God still protects us! He still gives us messages and words--the bread of life--amidst chaos and darkness brought about by the enemy. He invites us to feast with Him on the Word, and still, enemies and accusers lurk nearby. But God protects us from these things! That's what Psalm 23:5 testifies to--the faithfulness of God overcoming all else.
This message of communing with God in the midst of darkness was so timely yesterday. I was alone in the house all day, and at times I did feel the enemy encroaching. But God took me through it. He took me through it and ensured that I was spiritually nourished throughout my time with Him. More than anything else, I knew He was there with me, preparing a table. Praise Him!
Confirmed Yesterday: I felt prompted by the Lord to obtain a "verse of the day". Something to summarize His lessons; something to paraphrase what He wanted to say...and He gave me John 14:26:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
Glory to God! What a fit. The Comforter Himself was teaching me how to find His rest. The Comforter was comforting me! He was giving me rest on every side. It was the Holy Spirit that first brought to my memory Psalm 23:5. And it was this same Holy Spirit that then gave me the fulfillment, through my experiences later on. He is the one who gives a word and always fulfills it! He is the one who comforts us with the truth. He is the one who gives us rest, regardless of how many enemies attempt to surround us.
God wants to draw us close. He wants to teach us all things. He is faithful to remind us of His rest and comfort. He is so faithful to protect us and lead us on in the truth. God wants to bring us rest so we can worship Him. He wants to give us the Spirit so we can be true worshippers (John 4:24). In Him, we can draw near and experience true peace.
Like I said, the theme of rest was fulfilled throughout the day yesterday. And He gave me rest, so that I could praise Him fully. He gave me time alone to spend with Him. He gave me rest on every side. Wherever I turned, I saw him at work, and I was comforted with a message from Him. I watched a lot of TV, yes, but I received from the Lord even more quickened messages. I received from the Lord's mercy such rest and comfort.
Below are confirmations that led up to that point. In hindsight, God was showing me about the reality of His rest long before I experienced it yesterday!
Confirmed 1/12/15: That night I was reading in 1st Kings. I kept reading about peace--the Lord was giving Solomon rest on every side. What strikes me as important is why God did this. He did it because Solomon pleased Him! He did it because it pleased Him that Solomon would build Him a temple. God honored the desires of His servants, firstly with David and then with his son Solomon. God gave Solomon rest so that Solomon could set up a life of worship for the people.
"But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster." 1 Kings 5:4
Confirmed Yesterday: The Holy Spirit brought to remembrance Psalm 23:5. There were several confirmations for this verse...and I had it playing and replaying in my hear for much of the day:
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."
Spiritually speaking, believers today have enemies as real as those of King David. However, our enemies are not flesh and blood like his. Instead, they are systems of this world and spiritual powers of darkness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). The good news is that God still protects us! He still gives us messages and words--the bread of life--amidst chaos and darkness brought about by the enemy. He invites us to feast with Him on the Word, and still, enemies and accusers lurk nearby. But God protects us from these things! That's what Psalm 23:5 testifies to--the faithfulness of God overcoming all else.
This message of communing with God in the midst of darkness was so timely yesterday. I was alone in the house all day, and at times I did feel the enemy encroaching. But God took me through it. He took me through it and ensured that I was spiritually nourished throughout my time with Him. More than anything else, I knew He was there with me, preparing a table. Praise Him!
Confirmed Yesterday: I felt prompted by the Lord to obtain a "verse of the day". Something to summarize His lessons; something to paraphrase what He wanted to say...and He gave me John 14:26:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
Glory to God! What a fit. The Comforter Himself was teaching me how to find His rest. The Comforter was comforting me! He was giving me rest on every side. It was the Holy Spirit that first brought to my memory Psalm 23:5. And it was this same Holy Spirit that then gave me the fulfillment, through my experiences later on. He is the one who gives a word and always fulfills it! He is the one who comforts us with the truth. He is the one who gives us rest, regardless of how many enemies attempt to surround us.
God wants to draw us close. He wants to teach us all things. He is faithful to remind us of His rest and comfort. He is so faithful to protect us and lead us on in the truth. God wants to bring us rest so we can worship Him. He wants to give us the Spirit so we can be true worshippers (John 4:24). In Him, we can draw near and experience true peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment