Rest and Understanding

 

Psalm 6:2-3a (NRSVue) - Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. My soul also is struck with terror,

Psalm 6 is a prayer for recovery.

In fact, it is a prayer for recovery from a serious illness.

The words reflect just how heavy the burden is and how strong is the fear that accompanies it.

In Matthew 28, Jesus prays to the Father.

He thanks the Father.

Christ acknowledges that those the world deems simple are granted insight.

No one knows the Son except the Father.

And no one knows the Father except the Son and those whom the Son chose to know the Father,

Christ then prays for those who are burdened and promises rest.

Matthew 11:28 (NRSVue) - “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Christ is the great physician.

He tells us to bring our burdens to Him.

And when we do, Christ grants us rest.

This is not just rest for our bodies, this is rest for our souls as well.

It does not matter what our burdens are, Christ invites us to bring those burdens to Him.

He removes all burdens: physical illness, fear; distress of the mind, even concerns of the heart.

In their place, Christ gives rest, peace, and hope.

This is one of the first verses my mother taught me as a small boy more than half a century ago.

I take its meaning to heart.

I also understand that this was a very unique way in which I was chosen to know the Father.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, July 5, 2024.

I will be back here on Friday, July 12, 2024

Whose Will?

To say that we are in a mess right now is an understatement.

We are still coping with a pandemic.

Many want to proceed with caution while many want to return to normal right now.

We are painfully aware of the untimely and unjust death of George Floyd.

We are also aware that some want law enforcement completely disbanded.

We face other issues that have become equally divisive.

Meanwhile, our elected officials, regardless of party, do little to solve them.

If anything, their words and their actions contribute to the division.

But, to be fair, we must also be willing to accept our share of the blame.

We live in an age of microwave ovens, high speed Internet, instant messaging and Google.

We forget the Serenity Prayer.

Even if we pray for patience, we might unconsciously add “and give it to me now”.

We expect easy answers even when the answers aren’t easy at all.

To be frank, things will not get better if we insist on doing things our way.

C. S Lewis once said: “All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”

Have we forgotten Christ’s instructions on how we should pray?

Matthew 6:9-10 (NET) - So pray this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Isn’t it time we stopped trying to enforce our will and accept God’s will?

Isn’t it past the time?

Today’s headlines prove that it is.

C. S. Lewis also had this to say - “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'”

We must turn around and say to God “Your will be done!”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, June 19, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, June 26, 2020