That bird keeps hopping from tree to tree
As the soft winds blow on you and me.
That lovely little bird comes on the scene
He seems to be saying, “Where have you been?”
Then he warbles his own sweet little song
Trying to convince us there’s nothing wrong.
Why can’t we maintain that same kind of view
As we remember again that God’s Word is true?
Then stronger and stronger the wind began to blow
And that lovely bird was gone, but where did he go?
He had hidden himself in the trunk of a tree
He seemed to sing a song, “God protects me.”
Now if God takes care of a bird so small
Why is it then that we ever worry at all?
We left the woods our hearts full of praise
Praising the Lord for His protective ways.
Is it hard to sit still during the day and focus on God? Even on my days of greatest pain, I’m still doing something to keep myself “busy”. Today I was exhausted and in pain but feeling restless and attacked by the devil so I threw on my walking shoes and headed out the door. I didn’t know how far I’d be able to go with my health but my feet took me down to the river. I managed to walk 1.5 miles! However, more importantly than that; I sat down by the river and was still.
I prayed and I meditated and I reflected on my present life. This verse was in me, “Be still, and know that I am God:” (Psalm 46:10) This verse is actually talking much more than about rest. He is actually talking about a stillness or a ceasing from fighting. We can rest in knowing that He is God. We can be calm and serene with no need of worry. Our comfort is now in Him, the Lord God, knowing that He is being exalted in the earth above the heathen. He will do what He wills in the world. We have no need of being depressed.
Where does this leave us in regards to the happenings in the world today?
We are all in God’s hands. Remember the sparrow? “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?” (Luke 12:6) Insignificant sparrows and yet they are not forgotten by God. How much more our Creator Who made us in His image cares for us! Remember, too, that He knows when our last breath will be. Worrying about a sickness or waiting for something to happen will not change that. Why not rest in Him? Hebrews 4:9 has a great reminder, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
We all know the verse in Psalms about being like a tree planted by the rivers of water but did you know that this verse is similarly repeated in Jeremiah 17:8? “For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Looking at a tree, I am reminded that God is taking care of me.
We, who abide in Christ, will not be bothered by the trials of this life if we are planted near Him. We will not have to worry if we go through seasons of weariness because we will still yield fruit as we abide in Him.
How? One major factor in bearing fruit and not being affected by a drought is daily meeting with God around His Word. I can never stress enough to my children how important it is to study His Word. Do you remember way back when, when we used letters to write our loved ones.
We may not have seen that fiancé for months at a time or weeks and yet we’d get the letter and we’d read it and then keep it and read it again. It is important to fully know what our loved one was saying. We wanted to cherish each word and understand what they were saying. If we could do that for a loved one here on earth, how much more should we be studying the words of the One Who created us and gave us a way to have eternal life? Psalm 119:15, “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.”
In the end, I have come to the conclusion that no matter what I’m facing this week; no matter what the devil tries to throw at me; no matter what thoughts come into my head – He alone is to be exalted and I can rest in Him knowing that the fight is not with me. The devil is seeking to overthrow God and we all know where that will end! Victory is ours today and tomorrow and for eternity as children of God. Do you know His victory?