Are You Doing Too Much?

I wrote a book about knowing God in our innermost being. The secret of serenity in hectic times is something the whole world is seeking and not finding unless it finds Jesus Christ. Once His Spirit resides within us, peace of mind and a feeling of security becomes a reality.

Moses had more reasons than any of us to feel insecure, restless, and afraid. He had no home of his own for years, yet knew a sense of “homeness” in his heart. Here is a piece from the book that I hope blesses you and reminds you of this truth and inner refuge. 

THE DWELLING PLACE – a prayer of Moses the man of God.

Psalm 90:1 says, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations” and Rev. 21:3 says, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.”

A refuge incorporates the same idea. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27).

“He that dwells” incorporates the idea of sitting down and having a rest, not just physically, but spiritually, too. We are tired inside. Have you noticed? The world without Christ is on its feet. There’s absolutely nowhere for its soul to sit down. It should not be so with us.

Does your soul need to sit down - to find rest? To “dwell in Him” means that we are the ones whose souls are in repose and who know how to rest on faith.

Years ago when I was working with kids outside the church, we were studying the book of Hebrews. Trevor, a new convert, haltingly read Heb. 4:9, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God” (KJV). What did this mean? Trevor wanted to know.

I did my best with this. We struggled to describe the “rest” of faith in the heart for the Christian. In the end Trevor said, “Maybe it’s like when Jesus came into my life. It was as if I’d been holding my breath all my life, and then I let it out!” I think Trevor had caught the idea of inner rest and peace well. He was talking about the “dwelling” or the sitting down of the soul in repose. 

There was so much to discourage those new believers, whom the writer of Hebrews was addressing. But inwardly, it was very obvious to those watching that they were “resting” in their relationship with Christ. Someone has said, “Discouragement is a tired soul with nowhere to sit down.” The believer in Jesus always has somewhere to sit down!

This led me to have a “conversation” with Him who is my dwelling place. “Lord,” I said, “I’m weary in well-doing!”

“Sit down, my child.”

“I don’t know how! I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside!”

“I see you! Tell your soul to settle down on the Steps outside The Front Door. We will talk.”

And so I told my soul to stop rushing around frantically and listened to Him. It took awhile. But in the end, it joined me. It has to, you know; we are sort of attached! Finally it just stopped! What a relief.

“You’re dwelling,” He said!

“I know! Dwelling is rest realized internally, isn’t it, Lord? A rest that only You can bestow. Thank you!”

In that moment “we,” me and my soul, knew it was just as He said it would be. He indeed is our “dwelling place” and we were “home.”

Are you doing too much? Talk to God. Ask Him to help you to experience Him as your dwelling place and find the rest you need.