Come, Rest Awhile
Come, Rest Awhile
As the holidays are coming to a whirlwind close, many are panting with the ceaseless bustle. Would you describe your life right now as peaceful? Too often, in this busy time, we forget our resting place - the Holy God of Israel. We cry with the psalmist: “... Oh that I had wings like a dove! [for then] I would fly away, and be at rest.” (Psalm 55:6)
Remember, however, that peace is not an absence of strife, trouble, or busyness. Peace has nothing to do with surrounding circumstances at all! As Newton penned in his famous “Amazing Grace”: “I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace.” Please read my article Returning and Rest for more about true peace as Christianity defines it.
Here is a restful poem from a very popular authoress among girls: L. M. Montgomery. I thank the Lord for the restful sanctuary He provides in His creation!
Come, Rest Awhile
Come rest awhile, and let us idly stray
In glimmering valleys, cool and far away.
Come from the greedy mart, the troubled street,
And listen to the music faint and sweet,
That echoes ever to the listening ear,
Unheard by those who will not pause to hear -
The wayward chimes of memory’s pensive bells,
Wind-blown o’er misty hills and curtained dells.
One step aside and dewy buds unclose
The sweetness of the violet and the rose;
Song and romance still linger in the green,
Emblossomed ways by you so seldom seen,
And near at hand, would you see them, lie
All lovely things beloved in days gone by.
You have forgotten what it is to smile
In your too busy life - come, rest awhile.
Photographs: Garden Throne. Beautiful Curves II. © Handmaidens of the Shepherd, December 2007.
Friday, December 28, 2007