Rest...

Church today was good! Of course I never walk away empty. Today we seemed to cover stuff all over the place. I know it was probably not that way, but that is how it seemed to be. I really believe that different people take away different parts of each sermon. Usually those are the things that apply to them. If you remember a while back I did a blog topic called Conversation with God. Since that post I have stepped out and followed what I felt God was leading me to. The funny thing is that shortly after that, I felt like God wanted me to add more. I won't go into specifics, but I am trusting God and giving more than ever before. I am also being covered in God's blessing. Not necessarily monetarily, but in every other way. I also feel comfortable saying that God has always made a way for us to meet our needs. It felt so good to not squirm in my seat when we covered a verse on tithing.

On to the big thing though. The other thing I took away from the sermon was REST. I think that some people assume that I am so busy that I don't get time to just rest in God. I think that sometimes I get busy, but I still find to spend in the Word and in Prayer. Now in MY opinion, that is not the same thing as resting in God. This last week I have made sure I have had that time. There are some things we have been praying about. We feel like God is saying yes, but wait. The society we live in is all about instant gratification, so wait is not a word anyone wants to hear. This waiting has been going on for a while. I had realized that I felt like I wasn't hearing God on the subject anymore. Well, that was because I wasn't sitting to listen. I tend to be an impatient control freak...I know none of you are shocked by this. If you are...well now you know.

Psalm 46:10a "Be still, and know that I am God"

I do my quiet time at night. That is the time when I can focus on the Word and God. I know morning is the ideal time, but my feet have to hit the ground running in the morning. I have at least 1 kid that gets up as soon as my eyes open, so it wouldn't be quiet for long. After I put the kids in bed I can spend all the time I want just in the Word and in Prayer. Lately the things that need to get done has crept in, so I haven't been resting. Last week I rested. What is resting in God? For me resting in God is just being still...listening. It is like being quiet, at rest, or at peace. It is in that stillness that I hear God....not the booming voice from the movies. I hear that quiet nudging. Last week after my quiet time I just sat there. I went and laid down in bed. I did not turn on the tv. I didn't turn on the radio. I did not check my cell phone. I did not play on the computer. I just was there in the quiet alone with God.

I felt at peace. I felt reminded to worship while I wait (sometimes that can be hard). I felt reassured. I felt like I am going in the right direction. I felt....RESTED.

I think we crave the rested feeling. We also really really want to know how things are going to go and when everything is going to happen. We get anxious. For me if I don't rest in God, those anxious feelings turn into anxiety, worry, hives, etc. It just takes over. Then it snowballs into just plain craziness. How can you rebound from that? The rest in God makes me feel at peace in the situation. It is when I feel loved....reassured....comforted. It is when I feel like God is sitting in the room next to me. It is when I feel like God is putting a person on my heart that I need to pray for. It is also the time when I feel like God might be taking me down a different path...whether it be homeschool, public school, private school, work, stay home....whatever. The will of God is not revealed in the busyness of life. It is in the quiet stillness of rest.

Anyway, that is all I wanted to say. :)