A Resting Place - No. 24

Proverbs 24:15, “Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place.”

What is the banner that flies over your home? Is it a banner of love and unity? Is it a banner of joy? The above Scripture talks about another banner that we should fly high over our home. It is a banner of rest. Isn’t it interesting that God calls the righteous home a ‘resting place’?

God wants our home to be a sanctuary of rest – a rest for ourselves, a rest for our husband when he returns from marketplace at the end of the day, and a place of rest for our children. He wants us to enjoy our ‘resting place’.

Sadly, we are often too busy running here and there that we don’t have time to make our home a resting place. It takes time to make our home a place of rest.  It takes thought and prayer. It takes being there!

Recently my daughter, Evangeline, went to a home school used book sale. On the way home her van broke down. What would she do? Her husband was in Sweden. Colin was away. I was taking my 85-year-old father to airport to return to New Zealand. She thought of one family who she called. They graciously came to her rescue and loaned her one of their cars to use until hers was fixed. But by the time she arrived home she was frazzled – especially after waiting in the hot car for about three hours with all the children and her newborn baby.

She eventually got the children home and settled for the night. She was settling down herself when one of the children starting crying with pain. She investigated and found that his private parts were severely swollen and red. He had an infection from tick bites and it looked bad.  Her first thought was that she’d have to rush him to the hospital. However, she took a moment to look to the Lord and open the Word of God. Her Bible opened to Isaiah 30:15, “In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” She knew this was the Lord speaking directly to her. She knew God wanted her to stay still and trust in Him. She didn’t have to rush to the hospital. She had to stay home and rest and God would heal her little boy.

She immediately made a mixture of Activated Charcoal, Echinacea and Golden Seal, which she applied to the problem area – and she prayed. The next day she had planned to go to another book sale but she knew she had to obey the Lord and stay home. The following day she’d also planned to go into church in town, but once again she stayed quietly at home. By applying the natural healers and staying quiet, her little boy was totally healed.

Dear mother, it is in quietness and stillness that God will speak to you and give you wisdom. It is by the “still waters” that you will hear His voice, giving you the answers that you need to tackle the problems you face each day.

There’s also a special time of each day that should be a resting time in each home. It’s in the cool of the evening when the day’s work is over. It is the time for rest and fellowship. It’s the time when God wants to come and fellowship with us. Remember how God came to Adam and Eve to fellowship with them in the “cool of the day”? (Genesis 3:8)

Unfortunately, this is often the time when many mothers are still running hither and thither. They are out amongst the busy traffic, taking their children, or collecting their children from this and that. Satan is robbing them from their ‘resting place’. This is the time when a mother should be in her home, preparing a meal for her husband and family, so they can all sit together around the table and rest and fellowship during “the cool of the day.”

We as mothers have to make this happen. It is our responsibility. We either make it happen, or it will be robbed from us. God doesn’t want our ‘resting place’ spoiled. The word ‘spoil’ in the Hebrew is ‘shaddad’, which means ‘to destroy, to rob’. Are you letting the enemy use little things, subtle things, or even ‘good things’ to rob you of your resting place? Do you feel the intensity in this Scripture when it says, “Spoil not his resting place”?

It’s interesting that when God offers rest, there is often resistance. Look again at Isaiah 30:15, “In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength, and ye would not.”

Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls, but they said, we will not walk therein.”

Do you remember the heart cry of Jesus when he looked over Jerusalem and cried, “O Jerusalem…how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under wings, and ye would not”? (Matthew 23:37)

God calls you to come back into the heart of your home. He wants you to rest in your home, to find enjoyment in your home. He wants your home to be the center of your life where you can live in quietness and confidence. And He also wants to rest in your home. God desires a resting place. Of course, He wants to rest in our hearts, but if He is resting in our hearts, He will rest in our homes. In the Old Covenant, God chose Zion for His resting place. Psalm 132:13-14, “For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever: here will I dwell.”

What is your response, “No, Lord, I’d rather not, thanks all the same. Home is too boring for me. Plus, I’ve got to take my children to this lesson and that sport or they’ll grow up deprived. And it’s much easier to buy fast food on the way home than take time to cook a meal.”

Or is your response? “Yes, Lord, I will. I want to take time to make my home a resting place. I want to be planted in the heart of my home, instead of rushing here and there. I want to make my home a resting place for You and my family.”

God share His heart and desire for us in Isaiah 32:18, “My people shall dwell… in quiet resting places.”

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh Lord, my house is full of tension. Please help me to make my home a resting place. Show me the things I am doing that spoil the rest in our home. Give me strength and courage to change and eliminate these things from my lifestyle. Amen.”

QUOTE: