lostnowfoundk's Blog

Psalm 62:1-2 says,

“Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He is my defense
I shall not be greatly moved.”

Verse 5 of the same Psalm continues with,

“My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.”

When I think about rest for my soul, I think of the refreshing of my spirit because of my hope in Jesus. Psalm 62 shows David’s resolve to trust in God despite his adversaries and circumstances. We have many things that can burden us in this world, weary us and discourage us. Yet, we have hope in Jesus that cannot be taken away. He is our refuge, our salvation, our defense. So, how can we rest our soul in the Lord? How can we be refreshed in spirit?

1. HOPE IN GOD ALONE

Psalm 62 emphasises that our expectation and our hope is from God alone. When we have this perspective, it changes the way we think. Instead of doing things ourselves, we get to see God’s mighty works!

“Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.”[Psalm 66:5]

We get to know the power of God, the sturdiness of His foundation, the assurance of His faithfulness. When we wait on God, our strength is renewed [Isaiah 40:31]. We continue to run the race before us looking to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith [Hebrews 12:1]. We are kept by the power of God through faith in Jesus, our living hope. Because of this, we rejoice even while in the midst of trials [1 Peter 1:5-6]. Hoping in Jesus in better than anything else. Who can compare to Him? What can compare to Him? No other expectation, dream, or hope will do, but only Jesus Christ alone. God is for us, so let His spirit strengthen our soul as we look to Him!

 

2. ALLOW GOD REFRESH YOU

It is one thing to put our hope in God, and another thing to actually experience the refreshing of this hope. Consider the promises God gives below. They are not things we can just know, but things we must experience.

• [Jeremiah 31:25] – “For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.”
• [Isaiah 55:3] – “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live…”
• [Matthew 11:29] – “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
• [Psalm 51:10-11] – “Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

Do we recognise our need for God’s refreshing? Are we willing to let go, and let His spirit refresh us? We cannot be refreshed by God if we are busy trying to refresh ourselves with other things. The three verses above show us some ways in which we can allow God to refresh us.

Attitude for Refreshing	Practical Application
Recognise that God can satisfy our weary soul	Declare who God is as: ·        Our true rest – “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works and God did from his.” [Hebrews 4:9-10] ·        The One who lifts us up and establishes our steps – “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” ·        The bread and the water of life – “…I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” [John 6:35] ·        Our hope – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” [1 Peter 1:3]
Tune in to God’s voice and come to Him	Take time to just soak in God’s word, to be still and listen to His voice. Pick a passage from the Bible this week and talk to the Holy Spirit about it. ·        Speak it out. Declare promises, highlight important words, adore God. ·        Be quiet. Also take time to ask the Holy Spirit about the passage and allow time for Him to show you what He is thinking. ·        Write it down. Record the revelation, pictures or promises you receive. ·        Praise the Lord. Speak back to God the revelation you receive and give thanks to Him.
Dedicate our lives to follow in God’s ways	Take a step back and look at your walk with the Lord this week. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you something you could work on – eg. compassion, love, service, personal time with God. ·        Look at what God says about this/ what examples He gives ·        Find a practical application to live it out

 

 

3. REFRESHING IN FELLOWSHIP

We can help refresh one another in Christ! We all have the Spirit of God in us, the one Spirit who makes us sons and daughters in Christ and unites us together as His body. Many times, the New Testament mentions how fellowship is refreshing for the church.

• [Philemon 1:7] – “For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.”
• [Hebrews 10:24-25] – “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is in the manner of some, but exhorting each other, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
• [Acts 2:46] – “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart…”

Fellowship in the church is refreshing in many ways:

• PRESENCE– Just being with others who also hope in God is refreshing. God is relational and He has made us to be relational. We are partakers together in the grace of God!

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you… for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now…I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.” – [Philippians 1:3-7]

• ENCOURAGEMENT– As Hebrews 10:24-25 says, we meet together and encourage one another in love and good works, reminding each other of our coming Bridegroom and His eternal kingdom. He is coming soon, so let us encourage one another in every way. We can combat weariness, keep watch for His return, and continue strong in all the ways of the Lord.

“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore, comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” – [2 Thessalonians 5:9-10]

• GROWTH AND HEALING – As we encourage one another, we can also urge one another to grow in relationship with Christ. Growth, and seeing the fruit of intimacy with Christ is refreshing in itself. Iron-sharpening fellowship assists spiritual growth. Loving, honest fellowship assists healing (physical, emotional and spiritual).

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him… and the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed…” – [1 Peter 5:15-16]

• JOY– God ordained many festivals for Israel. These were times when the people could gather together and rejoice in the God, remembering His victories, His faithfulness and His love. There is always great joy when we gather together and praise the Lord.

“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.” – [Psalm 149:1-2]

So, let us praise the Lord with all our soul, and let our spirit be refreshed – in His hope, by His Spirit, through His word, and in fellowship with our brothers and sisters.