The Haven of Rest

Where will I find rest for my weary soul, When "ever" will I be completely whole? When will I be surrounded by beauty sublime And lay down my weary head and sleep with peace of mind!

These are the words of a poem/chorus of a song that I wrote some time ago. They depict the state of my life when I receive Christ as my Savior at the age of 20. As I have shared many times in my personal testimony, I went to the Monday night revival service at Cedar Creek Baptist Church in rural South Carolina.

When I entered the church that night I was seeking rest for my weary soul. Starting at a very young age, I had accumulated a weigh of resentments, anger, fear and insecurity. The anger had metastasized into hatred.

Along with the weight I was carrying, I was a fragmented soul, torn with conflict between the wrong and the right, desiring peace but wanting to exact revenge and punish.

While my life had fleeting moments of enjoyment and happiness mainly through my interaction with family and friends, it also had sustained exposure to pain and sadness that was ugly and evil.

So I entered the revival service on that Monday night longing to lay down my heavy head and sleep with peace of mind.

Something life changing happened to me that night.

A guest preacher from North Carolina preached a gospel message. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and

brought conviction about my sins which were many. I experienced the godly sorrow that works repentance. I repented of my sins and believed that Jesus loved me, died for my sins on the cross and was raised back to life. Salvation came to my heart and life that night. I exited the church a new creation in Christ. For the first time in the conscious memory of my life, I found rest for my weary soul.

The rest that I found that night is available to every weary soul.

Jesus desires to give the rest that He gave to me to every weary soul in the world. Consider His words found in Matthew 11:28-30,

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

What precious words!

This is the universal invitation of Jesus Christ to a weary and worn world.

If you have listened to the news lately, read any newspaper headlines or been on social media, I do not have to tell you the state of the world. War rages, fear grips many like a vise, hatred is visceral, the partisan divide is being stretched to the limit and solutions are elusive at best and impossible at the worse.

The inevitable product of the world I have described is a weary soul, a fragmented existence, a repulsive ugliness and a world that has no peace of mind.

Is there any message of hope?

There is and it is found in the invitation that Jesus extended which is quoted above.

Because I heard and responded to the invitation of Christ, I can now write a new poem and sing a new chorus.

In Jesus, I found rest for my weary soul, In Him, "I am" completely whole. He surrounds me with beauty sublime, And I lay down my heavy head and sleep with peace of mind.

Have you found rest for you soul?

If you have, I would love to hear some of your story in response to this blog. You should be able to post comments at the end of the blog.

I titled this blog "The Haven of Rest" because of the words of an old hymn.

I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest. I'll sail the wide seas no more. The tempest may sweep o'er the wild, story deep; In Jesus, I'm safe evermore.

Have you entered the haven of rest? The door is open, come on in.