Find rest in God
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.” (Psalm 62:5)
There is an immeasurable variety of things that people want. This text of Bible says, “Find rest in God.” Those who believe in Jesus should practice the words “Find rest in God.” But their reality of life can not anytime escape the situation of “many things they want.” They thus feel conflicted, and they have no choice but to constantly be troubled about solving the problems between the two situations. The only conclusion Bible teaches us is to pray and obey God hard. How would man dare to face against God by his own strength? Differently to many others, David, who confessed to God only, could achieve success in his life practicing hope and righteousness.
Things people want are the elements mostly for fleshly life. They are about food, wearing, housing and health, and the things for primitive desire of flesh. No one can live ignoring those things related to physical life. Therefore, the words to live ‘finding rest in God’ in the text might hear rather abnormal. But David clearly said, “find rest in God.” Some may wonder if he would have said that in his right mind. He maybe wrote a fiction like poem for his own dignity or hypocrisy? If David did, it comes result as if the Bible teaches a lesson something wrong that is different from the truth.
If someone as the saved by faith knows God, the person would have to live quietly and seriously with the hope in God. Even if someone says against them, they have to sustain the practical life of real faith for whatever reason or under any conditions. Because the Lord is really the only rock, salvation, and fortress for man. Whatever people want to have are things that shake in condition without stability of basis. But only God the Almighty is an unshakable, completely solid. The worldly things sometimes attack people reversely to even hurt them, as they are like falling walls and swinging fences. People expect to have something safe always to rely upon it. For instance, the fence is stood with the aim of protecting the house and people from outsiders or animals. But in a case the fence collapses due to natural disasters, people can get hurt by it. We can see an old, cracked, and fragile fence stand out sometimes, passing through an alley. And we hear a news, during heavy rain, there is also an accident where a landslide collapses a house and kills human life.
Some say people are the only anyway to be worthy of trust in the world. That words sound quite reasonable. If like it or not, people have to live with others together. If so, what would we do without trusting them? But now, consider what David said about the true nature of man means. Psalm 62:9 says, “Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.” Of course, the relationship between trusting, dating, and helping each other is of worth beautiful and precious. But ultimately, human is nothing more than the created being that can’t keep right the own selves. Then you will know why we should find rest in God, right? Now remember the fact God is the Creator of life and the Savior of eternal life, the Lord to be glorified forever by man.
Satan induces man to do evil, and also tries to lead man to be indulged in wealth throughout his life. People live with bloodshot eyes to get wealth, and some people don’t hesitate even to commit murder to steal from others. We have to know a fortune has a double-edged sword. Wealth is an essential thing for the help of life, as if a strong fence, but it sometimes becomes a tool that collapses and destroys life like the destructed fence. How can we use well that double-edged sword to make our life benefit? If we look right at God, who has given us wealth like the sword, we will get some way to solve it. In the text, it says, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Here the ‘find rest in God’ means don’t follow selfish thinking but obey the Lord.
The words “find rest in God.” is an instruction to completely follow God’s authority and word. People often misunderstand they would be changed into beings of doll like tool if people restrict own self in God. But in truth, that’s nothing more than a sense of damage of people without faith. Between people someone may not be able to exercise their own abilities because of others’ hindrance. But if an imperfect human being lives with the complete Lord, the person can wholly grow up and enjoy happiness within the Lord’s power.
(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Sep 6th 2020)