Distress: Extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain.
Rest: (1) Sleep (2) Cease from action or motion. (3) To be free from anxiety or disturbance. (4) To Remain confident and trusting.
We can face anxiety, pain, sorrow, and still sleep when we put our confidence/trust in what God has already done.
Here are examples in the bible of dealing with trying situations:
2 Samuel 22:7 In my distress, I called upon the Lord, yes, I cried to my God, and from His temple, He heard my voice, and my cry for help came into His ears.
David cried to the Lord in his distress, and God heard him. So God’s ears are open to the cries of the righteous.
Psalm 118:5 From my distress, I called upon the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me in a prominent place.
Again, David called on God, and he was in a better place. When going through a challenging time, if we sincerely scream and cry out to God, He hears and answers us.
Isaiah 25:4 For you have been a defense for the helpless and the needy in his distress.
Defense means protection. God protects us when we are under attack. All we must do is put our trust in God.
Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
When we trust someone, we do not wonder if they will come through; we know because of that person’s record of accomplishment. Get to know God and how He operates, and even when you are going through a demanding situation, you can rest knowing that God protects, hears, and answers in crisis.
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
I love the phrase Marilyn Hickey used: “When in trouble, you don’t want to backslide, you in -slide into church and to God.”
God loves it when we come to Him. It is like how a mother/father loves when their child/children go to them for help.
When in Distress, You Can Find Rest!
Prayer: Thank you, God; your compassion does not fail. Lord, I thank you that you hear me when I cry out in distress and answer my prayer. I thank you when I come to you when I am burdened and my heart is heavy; you give me rest. In Jesus’ name! Amen.