WHY DO I STRUGGLE TO FIND REST?

READ PSALM 108

OUR HEARTS NEED TO BE ROOTED IN GOD!

Psalm 108:1-4

My heart is steadfast, O God!

I will sing and make melody with all my being!

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

The psalmist begins his poetry with a wonderful statement! My heart is steadfast, O God! It is wonderful to be able to state with assurance that our hearts are steadfast. To be steadfast, according to the dictionary, means: ‘Fixed or unchanging; steady. Firmly loyal or constant; unswerving.’ As you read the definition, are you able to state that steadfastness defines your thoughts and emotions? If you are like me, this is more often a desired state than an actual situation.

The psalmist rests his heart in the statement he makes in verse four: that God’s great love is steadfast. God’s love was ordained in eternity past, is faithful in the present, and is promised for the future of those upon whom He has set His love.

I often have to go back and meditate on the love of God, for sometimes difficult situations or people in my life cause me to question His love. But the truth is that God always deals with me out of love. God’s love is perfect. His teaching, reproving, correcting, and training are rooted in His love.

God uses the Scriptures to produce His results in our lives.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

God uses people in our lives to forge us: See how, a few verses later, Paul charges Timothy to be the instrument of God in the lives of the Ephesians.

2 Timothy 4:1-2
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Are you grateful for your local church and for the leaders whom God is using to show you His love? Are you an active member in a local church? Are you part of a local church that is faithful in its teaching of the Word of God?

As the psalmist writes of God’s steadfast love, it is obvious that his worship and gratitude are rooted in his knowledge of the character of God and the promises of God. He is not doubting God during his difficult times, but waiting and watching for the unfolding of God’s purposes.

Psalm 108:12-13

Oh grant us help against the foe,

for vain is the salvation of man!

With God we shall do valiantly;

it is he who will tread down our foes.

David knows he needs help; he knows that man cannot save himself from his enemies; he knows that only God has the power to deal with his foes, and that He will do so.

When we insert ourselves into a situation, we only create messes. When we pridefully think we can do things apart from God, we are setting ourselves up to fall. When we start doubting that God is dealing with our difficulties, ingratitude and bitterness begin to sprout up.

Resting in God requires us to trust God for His timing and for the results that He plans. We certainly don’t want to become impatient or question God’s love.

My heart is steadfast when I trust in God’s faithfulness and in His steadfast love. When I don’t trust, then my life is a mess! Let your meditation on this psalm redirect your thoughts today! The amount of thankfulness and praise in your heart will reveal how much you are resting in the Lord’s faithfulness!