In the Lord I Take Refuge: 31 Days in the PsalmsSample

This psalm is a song of deep consolation to the one looking to God for rest amid life's adversities. Its consistent theme is the rest and peace God gives. Amid the storms of life, God is a safe and serene harbor. Have you experienced this? Or are you internally frenetic? Do you see the Lord himself, your Heavenly Father, ruling over all that washes into your life, hard and easy, good and bad? Do you see him nurturing you along in life, loving you, protecting you, working all for good? Rest in him again today.

After all, the Lord Jesus proved that this is who God is. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Dwelling in the shelter of the Most High slows down the frantic spinning of our hearts. Life with God blankets our fast-paced lives with inner shalom. He is the God of peace (Rom. 15:33; 16:20; 1 Cor. 14:33). This is why Jesus came, as announced by the angels at his birth (Luke 2:14).

The eighteenth-century hymn writer Charles Wesley captured it well in his hymn “Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose”:

Jesus, my all in all thou art;

My rest in toil, my ease in pain,

The healing of my broken heart.

In war my peace, in loss my gain;

My smile beneath the tyrant’s frown,

In shame my glory, and my crown.

In want my plentiful supply;

In weakness my almighty power,

In bonds my perfect liberty.

My light in Satan’s darkest hour;

In grief my joy unspeakable,

My life in death, my heaven in hell.