Resting In The Arms Of God

           

            There are days when even after a full night’s sleep, I am still tired.  I ask myself, why?  It’s amazing what stress can do to you!  It can cause anxiety, eating disorders, headache, muscle aches, mood changes, substance abuse, fatigue, chest pain and this is only half the list!  Personally, I find when I am stressed, I get the feeling of being overwhelmed and just want to sleep!

            Recently we had a bit if a crisis in our lives and that’s just what I did!  After spending the day at the hospital, I’d come home and sleep!  --Even beginning at 6:30 one evening!  I can’t seem to think or process information correctly!  By the next morning, I could start all over again, feeling well, and even maintain it during the day, until I arrived at home again, and then I’d collapse in sleep!

            In the morning, it was wonderful to reach for His Word to be refreshed for the day.  It’s reassuring to know that God wants to reveal things to me while I rest in him.  It’s not just my body and emotions which needs to be refreshed, but also my spirit.  When I allow stress to overtake me, I’m setting myself up to miss His blessings and leaving my human mind vulnerable to the wiles of satan’s attacks!  Stress steals my ability to even communicate in some instances.  I run a total blank and can’t hear a word God is saying to me.

            I read somewhere this week that to be successful in the business world we need to just stop—relax—and allow ourselves quiet time to think!  I find when I am stressed, even as I sleep, my mind is going full speed.  I don’t settle anything, of course, and it’s not until I actually do stop and rest my mind, that I can actually think clearly!  

            When we stop to spend time with God we are being renewed with His Spirit, which is capable of mighty things. (Which for me must be in the morning after I’m rested because I shut down at night!) He enables us to be able to deal with those circumstances in our lives for which we might not be prepared, such as an unexpected hospital stay and the news that follows. 

            We may not have all the answers—or not any answers, but we can know that God knows the beginning and the end.  He is always with us.  We are never alone.  And it’s in times like these we can trust the arms of God for the rest we need to carry on for yet another day.  That’s all we can ask for really, because none of us are promised another day; not even another moment.

            But knowing the arms of God encircle me, gives me the strength to face the crisis, even if I don’t understand or have a hundred questions!  His peace settles in my soul and gives me the power to tackle what is before me.  Will I make mistakes.  Very possibly.  But I know God is a forgiving God and will protect me when my judgement is off and encourage me to listen more closely for the path he has chosen for me.  

            I am grateful I can rest in the arms of God regardless of any situation or crisis.  I hope you are too!