FINDING REST FOR YOUR SOUL

Are you feeling the tension of stress as you do the next thing on your “to-do” list? Do you feel that your life is a never ending task going from one job to another?

With the unstable political atmosphere, unnatural weather patterns, Covid restraints, divisive chatter and totalitarian rule in the nations who wouldn’t be on edge?

It takes me back to the common sense wisdom of the ages we can find just about anywhere on the internet. But, more prominently in the books of the bible.

Have you read them?

Though I am no bible scholar my favorite book to read is the Psalms to receive comfort, instruction and strength when my stress level hits the roof.

When you can’t take one more thing~ and you only have a few minutes I promise you reading a passage of the Psalms will leave you feeling refreshed. In fact, they may trigger a memory of your past from an old bible hymn or story that you loved as a child.

This is a passage from Psalms 23 The Passion Translation

“Yahweh is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough. He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss. That’s where he restores and revives my life.”

Now try and wrap your mind around that. Our God and Creator of the universe is our best friend. Well, he wants to be. And he wants to spend time with you.
Words of the bible are true historical events in a time and a place that are strange to us. Yet, the words themselves spark a place in us that attest to the fact that we “know” he is real and those places are too.

These words will touch the soul of the child in us. One song I remember in my childhood was based on a passage from Ecclesiastes. “Turn, Turn, Turn” was written by Pete Seeger and was recorded in 1959.

Listen to this …

Ecclesiastes 3 : 1-8 American Standard Version

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which was planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

If ever there was a time for a run on sentence it would be this! Sorry, my inner editor never seems to “rest.”

Don’t the words in this verse remind us of the rich wisdom we can sink into when everything else seems to be in chaos? Don’t we need this kind of truth and grounding when all hell seems to have broken loose?

This is just one of those passages that can sow peace into your soul as you read through it. It gives perspective, balance and sows hope into our hearts when we are feeling lost.

I think we need these eternal words more now then ever. Don’t you?

What are your favorite passages of the bible?