Intro: During this Lenten season, every devotional will begin with a quote from C.S. Lewis (author and theologian), followed by two readings: 1) A passage from the Psalter and 2) a writing from one of the Old Testament prophets or New Testament authors. We will look at both passages as a whole through the fulfilling work and wisdom of Christ—Truth.
God is calling us into perfection by renewing us and making us like Christ.
“Why is God so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?” (C.S. Lewis/A Grief Observed)
In this passage, David is writing this psalm to give praise to the one true God and reminding us that He is the one who does the saving. People would turn to the things of the world for saving. Needless to say that those things would only provide temporary satisfaction. It will only last for a short amount of time. The life with Jesus will last for eternity. In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus says that if you acknowledge me before others, I will acknowledge you before my Father who is in heaven. If you deny me before others, I will deny you before my Father who is in heaven. Willie Robertson, star of the show Duck Dynasty, says that stuff is temporary, but Jesus is eternal. He will take care of our enemies so that they are not a problem to us. While I am not saying that those enemies will go away forever, He will take care of them as long as we are tuned into His word and His direction.
Psalm 68:17-21 (NLT)
- Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary. 18. When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the Lord God will live among us there. 19. Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. 20. Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death. 21. But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.”
In this passage, Jesus offers a prayer of thanksgiving. During this prayer, He talks about we should turn to Him to find rest. As we go about living our lives, I believe that we would get to the point where we are on the verge of being burned out. In other words, we take our foot off of the gas pedal and start to wind down. When this happens, we would have the mentality to start giving up. I want to challenge you by saying this: rest, but don’t quit. When we are physically exhausted or tired, we would sleep in our beds. When we are spiritually exhausted or tired, we need to turn to God for our source of comfort and rest. As stated in the previous paragraph, we would turn to worldly things (alcohol, drugs, pornography, etc.). We need to turn to God, especially when we feel like quitting. Remember to rest, not quit.
Matthew 11:25-30 (NLT)
- At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! 27. “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 28. Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that we, as Your children, will be tuned in to what You say and not the world. I pray that we would take the time to rest, but not to quit. I pray that we would be reminded of this every single day. We cannot quit, especially when it comes to kingdom work. Lord, I pray that You will continue to fuel us every day with Your love, grace, wisdom, understanding, and mercy. In Jesus’s name, amen.