With all that’s going on in the world, I find myself reminding myself that I need to refocus my attention. It is easy to be distracted by everything; it is exhausting as well. The negative news can take a real toll. The bombardment of continuous manufactured noise and planned chaos can have me running to find a quiet corner … a place where I can have a moment of solace and experience much-needed calm and rest.

Everyone needs to find time to recharge … to make a conscious effort to unplug and experience rejuvenation.

This world has no shortage of news and noise, much of which can bear down heavily and cause us to worry, feel worn, and overwhelmed. It can mentally and physically, and even spiritually take a toll if we let it.

We are living in a remarkable time as we see the stage being set and watch in real-time the birth pains the Bible clearly conveys will come. Birth pains that we are seeing come at an alarming rate – fast and furious.

It is clear we are living in the last days, and although it can be an exciting time given the fact that our redemption draweth nigh, it can also be challenging for many if we let our guard down and take our focus off the Savior.

God wants us to confidently continue on, doing good, sharing the hope we have with others, and putting our complete trust and confidence in Him.

He also wants us to be refreshed, rested, and resting in His peace during this time.

How? First, by keeping our eyes on Him. If we don’t guard our hearts and mind, we can easily become weary of doing good. We can make the mistake of taking our eyes off Christ and instead putting them onto our circumstances and what’s taking place in the world around us.

We can become so entrenched in the daily headlines and our forever-long “to-do” lists that we forget to stop, praise, worship, and look up. We have to intentionally decide to unplug and refocus our focus on what really matters.

When we decide to keep focused on what truly matters, we can find much-needed rest to quiet ourselves, and in so doing, we can be at peace. Full reliance on our Heavenly Father allows us the ability to find true rest.

Trusting in Him and His promise to care for us despite what we may feel or see is crucial.

Looking up when it’s often easier to look around is key to getting off the emotional rollercoaster. Deciding to look at life from an eternal perspective, with Christ always at the center, allows us to focus. And, when we practice focusing on the right things, we can enter into His remarkable rest.

The song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” comes to mind as I’m writing this. Think about the words for a moment:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

When we focus on Him, everything better comes into focus. Amen?

Keep in mind also that the changes we see all around us are not a surprise to our Father. Things may be changing at a fast pace, but our loving Father never changes, ever. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is constant. He is true.

These revelations we hold in our hearts and the promises we carry with us, which He made, are what allow us to truly rest. In Him, we find our comfort, which enables each of us to take a deep breath, to rest, and to sleep soundly when our head hits the pillow.

It is interesting how our heavenly Father makes a point (several times in His Word) concerning resting and being still.

Psalm 46:10 beautifully portrays His desire: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

There are many verses calling us to pause and remember the importance of simply resting:

Proverbs 3:24 “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.”

Jeremiah 31:25-26 “For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.”

Psalm 4:8 “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”

Hebrews 4:9-10 “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.”

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Psalm 127:2 “…he giveth his beloved sleep.”

Other verses remind us we can rest in Him because of His promises to His beloved children:

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Psalms 27:1 “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 23:1-3 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Are you truly resting today? It’s not enough to just catch some sleep when your head hits the pillow each evening. Rather, it’s an intentional unplugging from the world and plugging into the Savior on a daily basis.

The act of simply being still before the Lord and intentionally unplugging from the world and plugging into Him can provide fresh perspective and a reset that rejuvenates.

We can rest easy and sleep well when we remember our Savior is at the helm and is in complete control — of everything!

He wants us faithful. He wants us excited about our relationship with Him. He desires our praise, our worship, our obedience, our trust. He wants us looking up for His soon return. He wants us sharing the hope we have with others. He wants us approaching and viewing each day from an eternal, not an earthly perspective. And, He wants us at peace so we can truly enter into His rest.

Remember: With Him at the helm, we should not be a fearful people.

He is in control of everything, and He invites you to find peace and rest in Him!

Psalm 37:7 says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

I wanted to share a poem God put on my heart to write many years ago. I hope it brings encouragement to your heart today as you walk the path He’s laid out for you.

Remember, friend: The King is Coming!

Let Him find you obediently serving … well rested, refreshed, and ready.

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

spate.holly@gmail.com

Rekindled Strength By Holly Spate

This flower now wilted
I give up to You
To bring it to health
To make it renewed.

To water by grace
Surrounded with care
To bring back the glow of beauty
It usually wears.

For life can be draining
With all its demands
It steals of energy
Through its various commands.

Yet, the flower grows strong
When standing still
Its beauty brilliant
From rest revealed.

To slow this life
For warmth to embrace
To enjoy its purpose
In spite of its pace.

This flower now rekindled
Grown through Your strength alone
Refresh daily my soul
So I may be all for Your own.

The nation was desperate for leadership.

His improbable but swift ascent to fill the vacuum was as dramatic as it was unlikely. Humanly speaking, it was propelled solely at the behest of a praying mother.

Outside of her influence, the rest of his family’s situation was, to say the least, dysfunctional. In fact, the lessons that he learned there, as well as what he saw in his only other spiritual mentor, may have factored into the shortcomings that were evident in his own family later in life—the only ailments that hampered a career that otherwise succeeded all reasonable expectations.

At a young age, he gained fame as an itinerant teacher and authoritative speaker. Soon he rose to national prominence and became a counselor to kings.

Though hard to believe, it really seems that it was the faith and prayer of his godly mother that gave him the spiritual impetus to carry out a lifetime of service—even though she had him at home for only perhaps three years before he was taken off to begin an accelerated maturity process. Away from home, raised by strangers but called by God, adulthood came early for this young man, and exceptional was a word that many could easily have used to describe him at a similarly youthful age.

When we realize that the circumstances this man faced also included political intrigue, national crises, warfare, apostasy and immorality, we might wonder if we are hearing a 21st-century tale. Our story, however, actually took place more than 1,000 years before Christ. It is the account of the life of Samuel. God provided this man to the nation of Israel in answer to the prayers of his faithful mother Hannah, whose pious life stood out brightly against the dark backdrop of her day—an era which can immediately be characterized simply by thinking of it in relation to the period of the Judges:

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25).

From such an inauspicious beginning, Hannah’s son rose to an unprecedented place of honor in Israel—his mark forever certified by his inclusion on God’s honor roll (Heb. 11:32). He was, in fact, the last judge and first prophet sent by the Lord God to His people (see 1 Sam. 3:20; 7:15-17; 9:9; Acts 3:24; 13:20). As an early writing prophet, he has long been recognized as an author of inspired Scripture (1 Sam. 10:25; 1 Chron. 29:29). He was a Levite who functioned as a priest (1 Sam. 2:18; 3:3; 10:8; 1 Chron. 6:31-34). He also anointed both Saul and David into the kingship (1 Sam. 10:1; 16:13). Truly, many of the vital issues of Old Testament history and theology intersected with his life.

I find that the attention given to Samuel is woefully inadequate in comparison to the importance that the Scriptures place upon him (note Jer. 15:1). I first presented a study of Samuel’s life more than 20 years ago and have been fascinated with his example ever since. Sometimes he is presented merely as a foil to King David. In reality—in terms of human experience—it was Samuel who made David, not vice versa (note 1 Sam. 19:18; 1 Chron. 9:22). When Samuel died, it appears that—spiritually, at least—David’s best days were behind him (see 1 Sam. 25:1, and David’s apparent response in Ps. 12:1).

Samuel was by no means perfect and even seems to have reproduced the errors of his mentor, Eli (see 1 Sam. 8:1-5; Ps. 99:6-8). Looking over the totality of his life, however, I can’t help but sense that—just as we have largely disregarded his significance in the Scriptures—we have often failed to implement the standards he displayed for us. All leaders should take them to heart, especially those who serve in Christ’s church.

Samuel’s name ends with the name of God, and its beginning relates to some form of the words name or hear. Given the prominence of prayer in the lives of both Samuel (see 1 Sam. 7:5; 12:23) and his mother Hannah (see 1 Sam. 1:10-13, 20; 2:1-10), it seems likely to me that his name meant “God hears”—hence, my title for his life story is “The Man Heaven Heard.”

Perhaps the greatest thing that Samuel ever did was simply to arrive in Israel with a tender spirit and a willing heart, eager to serve God in spite of hardships, counting his privileges but never his sacrifices.

Upon the passing of former President Gerald Ford in December of 2006, President George W. Bush commented succinctly: “Gerald Ford came along when we needed him the most.” ^[i] Likewise, truer words could not be spoken about the prophet Samuel who appeared, in the providence of God, to shepherd a needy people at the perfect time.

If we would take it to heart, his life could have a profound impact upon us at this strategically vital moment in history—even an impact that is worthy of his marvelous example.

Certainly, above all, he was a man of prayer—and heaven was listening.

—

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.

[i] Bill Nichols and Tom Vanden Brook; “Tributes pour in for Ford;” USA Today; 27 December 2006; https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-12-26-ford-obit_x.htm; Internet; accessed 1 September 2022.