Post 22 in Lifting up the Soul
His soul shall dwell at ease;
And his seed shall inherit the land. Psalm 25:13
God’s history of mankind shows us that war is inevitable while there is an adversary. David’s story has a lot of war, bloodshed, and hatred. But David is not remembered for being a “man of war” as God calls him (1 Chronicles 28:3). After Saul died, David’s reign is depicted as magnificent. His was an earthly kingdom that today’s religious Jews talk about and expect to return. But his peaceful reign came at a cost. He fought many wars to protect God’s people. Yet, he yearned for the peace that he found in the presence of God.
He says the soul of the one who is instructed by God will “dwell at ease.” The word for “dwell” is lun. It means to lodge or to settle down for the night. It is not temporary or short term; rather, it is a restful state of being for an extended time. The word is used again in a passage in Proverbs, where it is translated “rests.”
The fear of the Lord leads to life,
and whoever has it rests satisfied;
he will not be visited by harm. Proverbs 19:23
We stand in God’s presence in Christ, and this is our peace. The war going on around us is silenced, and we know the quiet of His nature. We are not in a temporary lull; we are dwelling, staying, resting here. This is the place we belong. The gospel writers make mention many times of Jesus’ retreats to be with the Father. John sets down in chapters 14-17 Jesus’ teaching about a soul’s relationship with the Father that comes through Christ. Jesus longed to return to the Father. That’s where He belongs. Do Christians long for this peace, this quiet belonging and being at ease? Jesus speaks of our belonging with Him.
“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23
We are constantly bombarded with distractions. Our devices go off at all hours. Even if you silence them, they are waiting for you to return and catch up with the latest happenings. Instead of waiting in lines, we wait on hold. We fix our problems by asking a chatbox. Our kids have games galore at their fingertips. In this way we forget about relationships. We don’t need to talk; we can just comment and wait for a response. This is how Satan hurts our relationship with the Father.
When God placed Adam in the garden, He made a home and a role for him. Adam belonged. Everything was made for him. All creation waited for him to come into existence. God held back Eve just long enough for Adam to know he needed her. Adam waited for her to arrive. Then God visited them together in the garden. Adam didn’t have to labor; he just tended the garden. The fruit grew for itself. Everything was easy. With God, there is ease, belonging, and love. With Satan, there is pain, sorrow, and shame.
Satan is the adversary because he wants to hurt God. The only way he can hurt God is to take God’s children away from him. In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain was drawn away from God by the idea that he knew more than God and could do what he wanted to do. God warned him that evil was at the door waiting to pounce, waiting to conquer Cain. Cain could not protect himself from the evil one. None of us can. God gave Cain the choice of His protection. Cain could choose to dwell at ease or to be conquered in the war between Satan and his Creator. God’s warning reveals how He is fighting for His child, while still allowing Cain to make his own choice. The loss of Cain’s soul is sometimes overlooked in the story when Cain takes the life of his brother. But in that act, Cain loses his eternal life. Even after Cain commits murder, God continues to protect him, placing a mark on him (Genesis 4:15). God mourns for the souls who are lured away by the things of this world. Satan uses our self-desires to trick us into walking through the door of sin, so that he can attack us and maul us to the point of no return (1 Peter 5:8).
Dear sister, God is your home. Satan tries to trick you into making rash, unwise decisions, out of anger, frustration, weariness, fear, and suffering. There are times when you look at the people in the world around you and begin to believe their successes and their friendships are better. That is sin crouching at the door, drawing you out of the soul-satisfying relationship that you are building with your Creator. He is is where you belong. His home holds brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, who seek the same peace and ease you are seeking. When you lift up your soul to Him, you are tasting the peace of being home forever.
Consider God’s words about belonging to Him:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Psalm 91:1-2
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36:27-28
But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10
This is the twenty-second post in the Lifting Up the Soul study from Psalm 25. Subscribe to WomEnCourage to be notified as this study continues.