{"id":9727,"date":"2016-05-25T05:52:34","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T09:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=9727"},"modified":"2021-01-27T09:24:42","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T14:24:42","slug":"worship-wednesday-rest-the-lord-is-near-reminder-by-steve-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=9727","title":{"rendered":"Worship Wednesday \u2013 Rest, the Lord is Near \u2013 Reminder by Steve Green"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: Baptist Press<\/a><\/p>\n

[Today I am in surgery – this from the Archives<\/a>]<\/p>\n

You keep him in perfect peace <\/span>whose mind is stayed on you,<\/span>
\n<\/em>because he trusts in You. <\/em><\/span>Trust in the Lord<\/span> forever, <\/span><\/em>for the Lord<\/span> God<\/span> is an everlasting rock.<\/em> \u2013 Isaiah 26:3-4<\/u><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

It was an early morning on the streets of\u00a0Casablanca, Morocco.\u00a0I was surrounded by other drivers headed for work. They were not in my thoughts \u2013 except to stay clear in the crowded intersections where merging and turning happen skillfully and sometimes magically.<\/p>\n

My thoughts were centered on the car in front of me where two friends were heading to a hospital. The wife was prepped to have surgery that morning to\u00a0see if the\u00a0problem in her abdomen\u00a0was cancer. I was going with them should she need extra help from another woman and to stand in for her husband…and stand by him. It was the custom there for such things as this.<\/p>\n

She was a dear friend in those overseas days\u00a0\u2013 the other mother to my sons. Friends with her son, my guys loved\u00a0eating at her growing boy-friendly table, or taking over her salon to play video games or watch a movie. This woman was a rock in her family\u2019s lives\u2026and ours. As I watched her, from behind, so small, beside her husband, jostled in the crazy traffic\u2026I prayed.<\/p>\n

Troubled with the possibilities and prospects of a life-changing diagnosis, my mind ping-ponged all around, even in prayer. Then, a song came up in my playlist\u2026and every other voice in my head went silent. It was this old song by Steve Green<\/a> entitled Rest, The Lord Is Near<\/em>. You hear people tell stories of hearing God speak to them, almost audibly. This was one of those moments for me.<\/p>\n

After that, I knew, whatever the outcome of her surgery, that she (we) would be alright. Nothing would change in the larger story of our lives. Most importantly, in that moment, I remembered that God was the same. Loving Father, Great Physician, Tender Comforter, All-Wise God.<\/p>\n

The surgery went very well. She would be fine. My boys still love to feast at her table\u2026and we are still friends\u2026although living worlds apart now. What I was reminded that day, in my car alone in Casablanca traffic, was less about healing\u2026or answered prayer\u2026and more about God\u2019s call for us to rest.<\/p>\n

\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: Baptist Press<\/a><\/p>\n

Sometimes that rest is like the sleep of a child, safe in the care of a loving, watchful parent. Even in Steve Green\u2019s song, he\u00a0delivers it as a lullaby really. How often we just need an all-out separation from the stresses of life\u2026either in a respite in God\u2019s Word, or a change of place (in our garden or by a sea, any sea, for me)\u2026or sometimes just plain sleep. They are all rest in their turn.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the rest is more active, like it was for me that morning. I was\u00a0still maneuvering through a sea of cars, still watching my friends\u2019 car so I wouldn\u2019t lose them, and still praying. Yet, my state of mind moved from an anxious attention to being \u201cat ease\u201d.\u00a0The image comes to mind\u00a0of\u00a0the military\u00a0command. It\u2019s defined <\/a>as \u201ca<\/span> position<\/span> of<\/span> rest<\/span> in<\/span> which<\/span> soldiers<\/span> may<\/span> relax<\/span> but<\/span> may<\/span> not<\/span> leave<\/span> their<\/span> places\u201d. <\/span>\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: military.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Sometimes, we can\u2019t leave our situation, our place in the battle. We must be present. We, as believers, are \u201cunder orders\u201d from our King. Yet, even in those daily duties, He calls us to rest. I pray today that, whatever you\u2019re facing, you will have moments when you are able to\u00a0let go and\u00a0lean into the arms of almighty God\u2026and remember He is just that near.<\/p>\n

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
\n<\/span><\/em>\u2013 Romans 8:28<\/a><\/p>\n

Worship<\/a> with me:<\/p>\n

Rest the Lord is near
\nRefuse to fear
\nEnjoy his love<\/p>\n

Trust, His mighty power
\nFills every hour
\nOf all your days<\/p>\n

There is no need
\nFor needless worry
\nWith such a Savior
\nYou have no cause to ever<\/p>\n

Doubt His perfect word
\nStill reassures
\nIn any trial<\/p>\n

Rest the Lord is there
\nLift up your prayer
\nFor He is strong<\/p>\n

Trust, He\u2019ll bring release
\nAnd perfect peace
\nWill calm your mind<\/p>\n

There is no need
\nFor needless worry
\nWith such a Savior
\nYou have no cause to ever<\/p>\n

Doubt His perfect word
\nStill reassures
\nIn any trial<\/p>\n

Call Him, if you grow frightened
\nCall Him, with loving care
\nHe\u2019ll lift the burden and you\u2019ll<\/p>\n

Rest the Lord is near
\nRefuse to fear
\nEnjoy His love<\/p>\n

Trust His mighty power
\nFills every hour
\nOf all your days<\/p>\n

Rest the Lord is near
\nRefuse to fear
\nEnjoy His love*<\/p>\n

\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: Baptist Press<\/a><\/p>\n

*Lyrics to Rest <\/em>sung by Steve Green (Lyrics and Music by Phill McHugh And Greg Nelson<\/a><\/p>\n

YouTube Video \u2013 Rest <\/em>\u2013 Steve Green (official music) from Joy to the World<\/em> album<\/a><\/p>\n

YouTube Video \u2013 Jesus, I am Resting, Resting<\/em> \u2013 Steve Green<\/a><\/p>\n

YouTube Video \u2013 Trust His Heart<\/em> with lyrics \u2013\u00a0Babbie Mason<\/a><\/p>\n

YouTube Video \u2013 Like a River Glorious<\/em> (Stayed Upon Jehovah, Hearts are Fully Blessed<\/em>) \u2013 by Frances Ridley Havergal \u2013\u00a0\u00a0one of my favorite hymns growing up<\/a>\"2009<\/a>\"IMG_0023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo Credit: Baptist Press [Today I am in surgery – this from the Archives] You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. \u2013 Isaiah 26:3-4 It was an early morning on the streets … Continue reading Worship Wednesday \u2013 Rest, the Lord is Near \u2013 Reminder by Steve Green<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[810,926,1070,2126,794,50,317,887,1517,1456,47,946],"tags":[2599,1836,3299,1835,3298,648,697,1518],"class_list":["post-9727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-good-gifts","category-attending-or-focus","category-cancer","category-community","category-faithfulness","category-god","category-lessons-learned","category-remembering","category-rest","category-steadfast-love","category-wednesday-worship","category-worship","tag-casablanca","tag-god","tag-greg-nelson","tag-jesus","tag-phill-mchugh","tag-prayer","tag-rest","tag-steve-green"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pauPAB-2wT","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9727"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27310,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9727\/revisions\/27310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}