EmmDev 2022-12-06 [Rest for the Weary] Eccentric?

Eccentric?

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew11:28-29)

Eugene Peterson writes an insightful passage about being eccentric in a Biblical sense of the word. The Greek prefix "Ecc" means "out of" or "out from." Therefore to be "eccentric" is to be "out of the centre."

His argument is that the further away we move from having God at the centre of our lives, the more unbalanced and unstable our lives become. Imagine a the bumpy ride we have when the axle is not in the centre of the wheel. The more we allow the wrong things to take centre place in our lives, the less peace we will have and the more weary we become.

Restful lives and lives that stay stable and fulfilling in the long run are lives that have God at the centre.
1. To realise that there is no God but Him
2. To realise that life makes no sense if He is not on the throne.
3. To find our rest in Him

Fortunately for us, Jesus reveals the Father to us in a clear way - we don't have to wonder what God is like. There is no lurking fear that God may be a self-serving tyrant who has been ultimately corrupted by ultimate power. At Christmas time especially, we remember that God gave His Son....

And in His Son, God is perfectly revealed and we know His love and find our rest in Him.
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This concludes this series on Rest for the Weary - it's my prayer that we will learn more and more to keep God at the centre of our lives. My prayer is that you and your loved ones will have a blessed Christmas and that you'll enter the new year rested and centred on God and that you'll know His peace, love and restoration. May you "sleep in heavenly peace..."

I will resume the devs in second week of January.

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EmmDev 2022-12-02 [Rest for the Weary] Tired from Ambiguity

Tired from Ambiguity

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. (Psalms119:28-32)

Psalm 119 is a long poem about God's Word. Each stanza consists of 8 verses that all start with the same Hebrew letter. The first stanza starts with the first letter of the alphabet, the second with the second and so on. (We call this an acrostic poem.) Today's reading comes from the fourth stanza where the letter is "Daleth" which, when stylised, looks like a door.

Now a door can serve both as a boundary and an opportunity. When we live in world where values and norms have become subjective and people are selective about what is right and wrong, it can be quite exhausting. We need boundaries and guidance on the right opportunities.

That is the sense we get from our reading today.
The Psalmist is tired and sorrowful, but the door of God's word gives him a path to walk on.
He has chosen a "way of truth" that will keep him from deceit and lead him to God's freedom.

When we live in ambiguity and changing values, it can be quite exhausting. In Frank Peretti's novel "Piercing the Darkness" the main character, Sally Beth Row, has lived her life in the New Age "anything-goes-as-long-as-it-is-good-for-you" camp. She finds herself exhausted, friendless, foundationless and desperate. She has a chance encounter with Pastor Hank and asks him for a scripture to read. Prompted by the Spirit he tells her to read Psalm 119 where she finds boundaries, guidelines, truth and ultimate freedom and grace.

When we need a clear voice in the midst of clamouring opinions, God's Word will give us a solid foundation.
His Word not only gives us life-guidance, but leads us to Jesus.

And in Him we will find rest for our souls.

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EmmDev 2022-12-01 [Rest for the Weary] Sleep

Sleep

Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?" Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalms4:6-8 )

It may seem ridiculously obvious, but when we're weary, we need sleep.

The problem is that when we are weary in body, mind and soul, the weariness of the mind and soul can make it hard for us to sleep. We struggle to get to sleep, or we wake up at 2AM or 4AM and toss and turn. Some weary souls manage to sleep but struggle with nightmares or end up grinding their teeth in their sleep.

So, sleep, while an obvious and theoretically simple cure or aid to weariness, can often be complicated and elusive.

There's all sorts of practical advice for sleeping well: Darken the room thoroughly, go to bed at a regular time, avoid screen time just before bed, quiet your soul with thanksgiving and so on. These and many other tips are helpful, but I think we need to go deeper...

We need to understand the nature of sleep and God's purpose for it.
When we sleep we surrender control. While we sleep, the world continues revolving and the machinery of society and industry keeps ticking. Sleep is, in many ways, the ultimate act of trust: "Lord I'm going to close my eyes and let my brain go into neutral self-care and tidy-up mode. I am vulnerable and passive in this time but I trust in You and I believe that You will work while I sleep. So this is in Your hands O Lord." To sleep is surrender.

Our Psalm for today seems to have been written at a time of national upheaval and calamity and at one point David says: "Many are asking, 'Who can show us any good?'" Yet he is able to affirm that he will lie down and sleep, secure in the goodness of God.

So, if sleep is what you need, approach it as I have suggested above. Create a going to bed routine. Give thanks for all that is good and hand over to God - "Lord I'm going to sleep now, but I believe that I am secure in Your love and that while I'm sleeping, You will work in me and my circumstances."
You could have the best sleep of your life!

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