The Bible Column - Rest in the Lord

“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. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.” Psalm 37:7-8
“There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.” Isaiah 48:22
In my recent reading, I was directed to an article, written by Dr. JB Hixon, regarding the busyness and distractions of our current society. He wrote of how those influences cause even born again believers to loose stability and tranquility within our own souls. He cited , “…the rings, tweets, beeps, buzzes, chimes, vibrations, notifications, alerts, and blinking lights, that demand our attention right now”. Clearly, we all know what Dr. Hixon is referring to in our cellphones, our houses, vehicles, machines and more.
In a not so great leap away from those things, are the distractions of immorality and crime, to include the immense variations of reason and explanation bombarding us in unrest. It can be said that we live in a complex world! These distractions are manifesting themselves in all kinds of stresses, reactions, and even illness, both physically and mentally, in the lives of many in our society. This ill is affecting all of us to a greater or lesser degree. God is not the author of this confusion. I Corinthians 14:33 Satan is keeping us busy and sidetracked from the otherwise important issues and needs of temporal and eternal life. How we respond, is clearly the greater issue!
In the Scriptures above, we learn that the fact of no rest outside of the way of God is not new. The Scripture in Isaiah 48:22 was written 712 years before the time of Christ. In calculating then, we know that 2730 years ago, there was no rest for the wicked! There never has been rest for the wicked since the fall of Mankind in the Garden of Eden. This is clearly evidenced by the first murderer, Cain, who killed his brother Abel. Genesis 4:1-16
We learn also from the second Scripture above, that there IS rest, patience, fretting not, ceasing from anger, forsaking wrath and not doing evil, in the Lord! In our lives, we can choose our way for ourselves! Joshua 24:14 and 15 tell us “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
These choices are further detailed at YourEternityChoice.com. This is our website for Bible help in Salvation and the Christian life. Please take a look! Thanks!