Hearts At Rest

Hearts at Rest

I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Psalm 131:2

BABIES COMMUNICATE THEIR NEEDS by crying. It’s the only way their hungry hearts and stomachs find expression. They remain unsettled until they are soothed. But over time, children learn to speak, express their needs, and wait without panic. Their parents’ track record of providing for and nourishing them is enough to calm their nerves and instill patience. Children who have been cared for well don’t wonder if they will be cared for in the future. They can rest in the assurance that help is coming soon.

When we are young in our faith and encounter needs, crises, and urgent situations, we cry out to God, sometimes in a panic, screaming for the problem to be addressed as soon as possible. We haven’t had enough experience with the God who shows up in good time to calm our fears and soothe our anxious hearts. But over time, we learn to express our needs to him with confidence, wait for his answers to come, and be content in the time between the request and fulfillment. Why? Because we’ve learned something about him. We’ve seen him at work. We can rest in the assurance that help is coming soon.

Some believers learn that lesson early; others never do. But as we dwell in his presence, drink in his Word, immerse ourselves in his goodness, and follow the leading of his Spirit, we soon grow out of that state of panic so instinctual to infants, become trusting children, and then mature into patient adults. We recognize the movements of God and understand what a lack of movement might mean. We see the bigger picture and fix our gaze more on eternity than on time. Our hearts return to rest.

Make that your testimony. God understands our urgent pleas, and he addresses them urgently when he wants to. But sometimes he allows our needs to stretch us, expand our vision, and train us to rest in him. We mature into a life of calm assurance, where our prayers are uttered with confidence and our hearts are at peace. Instead of growing weaker over time, our faith grows stronger—and refuses to be moved.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest, finding, as he promised, perfect peace and rest.