January 6

The Lord promises to be our rest. He knows the world and the evil one and the ordinary challenges of life are exhausting. He knows that of ourselves, we become drained of energy—and thereby drained of hope. Indeed, when we are physically tired, we are most vulnerable to the devices of the enemy of our souls.

But it is not God’s intent to allow us to be vulnerable to the world, the flesh or the devil, nor does He leave us to our own devices as we do battle against the foe and the circumstances he uses against us. HE knows our frame and HE knows our need—and HE has the complete supply that will overcome in our behalf—beginning with rest.

Indeed, His promise is that we may go to Him for rest. It is His plan to be our place of respite. Psalm 17:15 assures, “I will behold You in righteousness and I will be completely satisfied when I awake beholding You.” To have seen Him in the place of rest in the night and to have awakened with a vision of Him in the morning is to be equipped to face a new day with its challenges; it is to be lavished with His strength and equipped with His power.

Seeing the Lord is to recognize who He is, what He possesses, what He holds out to us, and how all that He is makes a difference for good regarding all that we are. When we have beheld Him, when we have discerned His glory, we are strengthened, we are refreshed, we are energized, we are emboldened to wrestle down the problems of life and to rejoice in the victory He gives us over them.