| Subject: Resting Place |
Author:
Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 19:36:22 02/06/14 Thu
Genesis 8:9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
Psalms 116:7-8 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. 8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
Are we not as the dove as we go about our daily lives in search rest for our bodies and minds? The dove had safety, comfort, food and shelter as long as it remained in the ark with Noah and his family. The dove and the rest of the inhabitants of the ark had been shut up almost a year (Gen. 7:11 with Gen. 8:14) and it longed for the freedom of the wild and the comfort of the tree branches. It longed for the wind in it's wings once more to lift it above the tree tops and hills so when Noah released it from the ark there must have been a boundless joy as it flew hither and yon. Joy turned to wonder and then disappointment as the dove found nothing but a troubled seascape. Where were the trees to nest in and where was the ground where it found grain for food and solid footing to walk on? What was this frightening sight that stretched as far as the eye could see?
The dove, finding no place to rest as it flew for hours saw the sun setting toward end of day and headed back to the ark, the only place of safety it knew. Landing on the window sill of the ark it saw Noah as he reached his hand and gently pulled it to safety back inside the only refuge it knew.
The psalmist, in the 116th psalm, found himself in a similar situation. He was spiritually and physically weary in a dangerous and hostile world. He had once known rest for he cried out: "Return unto thy rest, O my soul". We are not told the circumstances of why but we do know his soul was delivered from spiritual death. We also know He had known sorrow and weeping and his feet had been stumbling around tripping and in danger of bringing him down in defeat. In this we have a picture of a person who had reached the end of his rope and was just worn out from fighting all the things the world, the devil and his carnal nature had been throwing at him constantly. He, as the dove, saw no place to alight in safety and peace but the place he had left.
The dove may have been sent on a mission and worthy purpose but he still could find no rest in a hostile world. The psalmist may have made his own bed to lie in but he still was confronted with the same dilemma. There was no rest nor peace of mind in the hostile world he was living in. He had willingly left the peace and rest of his Father's house just as the prodigal son but now it was toward sunset and he was bone weary of the mess he had made. He longed for home and rest.
Humbled he made his way back to "his window sill" and his loving Father reached to him and pulled him back in.
Pilgrim; Do you as the dove and psalmist seek rest for you body and soul and peace of mind with the contentment you once had with the Lord? Why don't you spread your wings and point your face back to the Father's "Ark of Safety" and find that peace and rest. If you will but land on His sill with head bowed in humility He will reach His hand out and pull you back in to Him. The place you left is still there and it's the place you know you belong.
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