Bible in a Year : Psalms 116118; 1 Corinthians 7:119
Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 116:7 You must relax, pronounces a doctor crisply in Disneys Rescuers Down Under, attempting to treat the injured albatross Wilbur, a reluctant patient. Relax? I am relaxed! a clearly not relaxed Wilbur responds sarcastically as his panic grows. If I were any more relaxed, Id be dead!
Can you relate? In light of the doctors dubious methods (such as a chainsaw dubbed an epidermal tissue disruptor), Wilburs misgivings seem justified. But the scene is funny because it captures how we tend to feel when were panickingwhether or not what were facing is actually life-threatening.
When were terrified, encouragement to relax can feel ridiculous. I know when I feel lifes terrors piling up around me, and when painful cords of death (Psalm 116:3) tighten my stomach into knots, my every instinct is to fight back, not to relax.
And yet . . . more often than not, my panicked attempts to fight back only tighten anxietys vice-grip, leaving me crippled by fear. But when I, albeit reluctantly, allow myself to feel my pain and lift it up to God (v. 4), something surprising happens. The knot inside me relaxes a bit (v. 7), and a peace I cant understand rushes through me.
And as the Spirits comforting presence surrounds me, I understand a bit more the truth at the heart of the gospel: we fight best when we surrender into the powerful arms of God (1 Peter 5:67).
What struggles do you think of as cords of death in your life? How could you grow in surrendering to Gods love and care in the hard times?
God, help us surrender our desperate attempts at control and let go of the burdens we werent meant to bear to find rest in Your grace and goodness.
Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.
Well, we made it to the weekend. Hope you get some good relaxing done.