Rest in Your Season

Trust in the LORD and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Psalm 37:3

The word, Dwell, here in Hebrew is shakan or shaken and essentially it means to rest.

It’s here - after we learn to trust in his grace - that we can learn to rest in his faithfulness.

When God tells us to dwell, he is telling us to:

abide, camp, continue, establish, lie down, live, rest, remain, nest, settle, settle down, stay

This understanding of the word, dwell, has significant meaning to me now after living somewhat of a nomadic lifestyle. I have learned by experience that when we have no place to settle we don’t unpack, we don’t build significant relationships, we don’t invest, we don’t nest, we don’t fellowship, we don’t offer hospitality, we don’t connect - and these are all important things that God calls us to do in scripture

When I hear the words "settle down" I am reminded of God's words to His people in exile in Jeremiah 29.

"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 'Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.'"

Jeremiah 29:4-7

Do you know what this passage says to me?

It says:

• when I feel like I am in exile

• when I am in a season I don’t recognize

• when the situation is uncomfortable

• when my circumstances are unfamiliar

• when change is upon me

• when I don’t feel stable or settled

I am to Settle in to where God has placed me!!!

And this speaks to contentment.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situations whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want, I can do all things through God who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:12

Dwell in the land …

Settle in to where God has placed you - this season where you find yourself.

Are you able to abide, remain, rest right where you are?

One of the ways we can find contentment in this season of life is to remember that it is not permanent. We can settle in to where God has us because we know it is not our final destination.

Here is another blog post I shared in 2020 - "Pray - Pursuing Peace in Your Own Heart" that sheds some light on the difference between our settling in a season and the permanent way God dwells in us.

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When Jerry and I married, I moved into his tiny little house with my 2 boys, 2 cats, and a dog. Jerry already lived in that small space with his 2 children and all of their stuff. There was barely room for us – there was definitely not room for my belongings – so it all went into storage until we could find a larger house. That house never really felt like mine – and it certainly didn’t look like mine. I merely hung out there until we found a place where we could all dwell.

Scripture tells us that we should abide or remain with Jesus.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

John 15:9-11

The word Jesus uses for remain is “meno” in greek and it means to hang out just like I did at Jerry’s house. We are not meant to redecorate or make Jesus look more like us. Instead we should draw from His love, His strength, His ways.

Ephesians 3:14-21 discusses the power and strength that God gives us when we approach Him in prayer.

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…”

Ephesians 3:17

Did you notice that word “dwell” – doesn’t it seem similar to abide and remain? I thought so too, until I discovered that it is not at all the same word in the original Greek. The word Paul used here is “katoikeó” and it means something entirely different from hanging out like “meno”. Paul is saying that Christ will inhabit – permanently move in – and make my heart His home.

When I pray, and Christ dwells in my heart, He renovates it to look like His own. Where I have anxiety, He replaces it with peace. When I display fear, He removes the fear and displays courage through me. He lights up my dark corners and cleans out my dirt. He makes my heart reflect His!

Friend, I hope you have experienced that kind of renovation as well! Let’s continue to remain (meno) in Him, and as we enter into prayer, may Jesus dwell (katoikeó) in us!

Dwell in the land - settle in to the season where God has placed you.

Remain in Him - hang out in the presence of God through prayer and draw from His strength.

Welcome Christ to dwell in your heart through faith - pray that He renovates your heart to look like His own!

This, my friend, is what it means to rest!