Last night, I was asked to preach at a funeral wake service of my senior pastor’s brother. As I prepared the sermon and myself, I discovered that there was a mixed feeling within me. There was a sense of sadness because a man whom I witnessed his baptism only 2 months ago, has left the world. But there was also a sense of hope and joy because this man knows Jesus as Lord and Savior, and I know that he is now in a better place; in the arms of Jesus with all his pain and sufferings removed, and resting in peace.
Today’s psalm is a psalm of rest and reward, as the commentator, VanGemeren, names it. He proposes that the structure of this psalm is as follow:
A. Confidence in the Lord (vv.1-2)
B. Man Is Unreliable (vv.3-4)
C. The Lord of My Salvation (vv.5-7)
B'. Exhortation to Trust, Not in Man, But in the Lord (vv.8-10)
A'. Confidence in the Lord (vv.11-12)
That will make the central theme of this psalm concentrates at v5 to v7:
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
The NASB translates v5 as “My soul, wait in silence for God only.” This implies that the idea of “rest” is more than lying there doing nothing. It is an active anticipating of waiting for God as the sole purpose in silence. Resting is not idling. Resting is not merely recovering. Resting is definitely not wasting time sleeping or stoning. It is waiting quietly and with expectation for the God. It is giving God our wholehearted devotion by meditating on Him and Him alone. It is thinking and thanking God over and over again for His love, grace, mercy, goodness, faithfulness and all other attributes and works in your life. This is resting.
Only when we have enough of rest, we can be like the psalmist, receiving the rewards of life. This reward is not merely material reward, though it is also included in the package. Such reward is found in intimacy with God. This psalmist, which probably is David, has a tough time from his enemies. He has been pursued, threatened, betrayed, misunderstood, and depressed; but he emerges as a victor. He receives his reward as he is able to pour out his heart to God and seeks refuge in God (v8), and as he is able to have the confidence that he has God as his stronghold, he will not be shaken (v2, 6).
You may be going through difficult situation in life. Maybe your boss is giving you overwhelming amount of work in the name of downsizing; maybe you are worried about your rebellious teenage children; maybe your job and income is at risk because of the economic crisis; maybe your relationship with your spouse is drifting apart because of some in-laws issues; maybe you felt spiritually dry and tired of trying all sort of spiritual practices; and maybe you are lost in this world thinking that you are without hope. I invite you to find rest in God; wait in silence for God only.
Find a place and find a time whereby you can give God your hundred and one percent attention. You don’t need any other books beside the Bible, that may not be even necessary if you already have a verse or some verses memorized. Simply wait expectantly for God to meet you at where you are. You do not need to feel guilty if you don’t receive any new truth, but what you really need is God and His Presence. That will be your best reward. That will be the most important reward. What else can you ask for more, in comparison to the Presence of God?
May you find rest in God and receive His reward for you.
HHS…
Abel…
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