Resting In His Promises

Psalm 51:8+12

Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Seal resting on a rock on Loch Caolisport, Argyll

There is always a consideration when The LORD speaks; is this a word for all, or a personal revelation? Not all times with Him are for sharing. My chosen devotional for this year is David Wilkerson’s ‘God is Faithful’, and it has proved it’s worth many times already.

Today’s meditation (below) spoke to me deeply on a personal level this morning, and when I shared it with Gill, she too was greatly impacted. This we know, speaks to events and struggles for us, and having prayed on from the reading, we have both felt burdens lifted, through resting in His promises.

We also know that the walk with Him is a daily pilgrimage, and it is ‘here a little, there a little’ in that resting, which is definitely a message for everyone.

LEARNING TO FORGIVE OURSELVES

To me, learning to forgive ourselves is the most difficult part of forgiveness. As Christians, we are quick to offer the grace of our Lord to the world, but we often parcel it out meagerly to ourselves.

Consider King David, who committed adultery and then murdered the husband to cover up his offense. When his sin was exposed, David repented, and the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to tell him, “Your sin has been pardoned.” Yet even though David knew he was forgiven, he had lost his joy. He prayed, “Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. . . Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (Psalm 51:8, 12). Why was David so disturbed? After all, he had been justified before the Lord. The fact is, it is possible to have your sins blotted out of God’s Book but not out of your conscience. David wrote this psalm because he wanted his conscience to stop condemning him for his sins. David could not forgive himself, and now he was enduring the penalty: a loss of joy. The joy of the Lord comes as a fruit of accepting His forgiveness.

I have been greatly impacted by the biography of Hudson Taylor, one of the most effective missionaries in history. A godly man of prayer who established churches throughout China’s vast interior, Taylor ministered for years without joy. He was downcast over his struggles and thoughts of unbelief. In 1869 Taylor experienced a revolutionary change within. He saw that Christ had all he needed and that there was only one way to Christ’s fullness: through faith. Taylor determined to stir up his faith, yet even that effort proved vain. Finally, in his darkest hour, the Holy Spirit gave him a revelation: Faith comes not by striving, but by resting on the promises of God. Taylor obeyed and became a joyful servant.

May you experience the forgiveness the Lord has already given you—and see your joy return.

DAVID WILKERSON — ‘GOD IS FAITHFUL’

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‘Meditate on these things…’

HEBREWS 4:1-2
Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

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REST IN YOUR PROMISE — David Ruis

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A HOLY CONDITION: Oswald Chambers on PEACE
— Life in the SPIRIT --

IF YOU ALLOW anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security. The peace of God comes from looking into the face of Jesus and realising His undisturbedness.
[from ‘Run Today’s Race’]

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Listen to this meditation by clicking below…

22-03-29_rest_in_his_promises.m4a
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