As I was thinking of things I needed to do before traveling to help my mother-in-law for a few weeks I thought about my blog. I really want to keep going with my weekly posts on rest. I also want to be realistic and not set myself up to fail. God blessed me with the idea to ask fellow authors and bloggers who have blessed me with their writing to share their thoughts on rest. The next few weeks I will be doing just that. I hope you are blessed as I was.
Today I am honored to share my blog with Lynn.
And the Dove Rested by Lynn Mosher
For
forty days and forty nights...
The
floor of the great abyss ruptured, spewing skyward enormous streams of steam
from its belly. It roared in agony as it billowed into a surging mass of
catastrophic power, pounding angrily against the ark, which cradled the nucleus
of humanity in safety from the judgment upon the earth.
The
once calm seas broke open their storerooms and heaved forth their reservoirs as
frothing waves. Never having rained before, the windows of heaven now threw
open their sluice gates, unleashing their inner resources as great torrents.
And
the ark, listing from side to side, rose up with the waters.
“And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty
days.” (Gen. 7:24 NKJV)
God then restrained the waters and made a wind to pass over
the surface, and, as the waters began to decrease, the ark rested on top of Mount Ararat .
The definition for Ararat is interesting. The Brown-Driver-Brigg’s
Hebrew Lexicon says it means the curse reversed: precipitation of curse. Noah
means “rest,” and its root word basically means to settle down, cause to rest,
to deposit, and so on. As the curse reversed, the waters deposited the ark,
causing it to rest on Ararat, and so, too, did Noah, probably heaving a big
sigh of relief.
After months of the waters receding, Noah sent out a raven
that went “to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.” (Gen. 8:7
NKJV) Noah also “sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded
from the face of the ground.” (v.8 NKJV)
The dove went out into the world, searching upon the waters
of “drifting waste of sin and judgment” (A. B. Simpson) for a resting place. But
“the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot” (v.9a NKJV), so she
returned to the ark. And Noah “put forth his hand and drew her to him into the
ark.” (v.9a Amp)
“And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the
dove out from the ark.” (v.10a NKJV) This time the dove returned with an olive
leaf, which is not only a symbol of peace and reconciliation but is also a
symbol of prosperity, divine blessing, beauty, and strength. The sign that
judgment had passed and peace was returning
Isn’t that a comforting thought of our Lord? When we encounter
chaotic circumstances, do we go out into the world searching for rest, peace,
and satisfaction? We will not find them there.
He lovingly says to us, “Yes, I have loved you with an
everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” (Jer. 31:3
NKJV) “In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved.” (Isa.
30:15 Amp)
Christ
clutches His Bride in His eternal arms of love, “And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isa.
62:5 NKJV)
The Lord continually draws you to Himself by His Spirit. Return
to the Ark and
find rest unto your soul.
From His feet,
Lynn
At a time of physical upheaval in 2000, Lynn felt led of the Lord
to take up her pen and write. With this new passion, Lynn embraced her mission
to reach others through Christ-honoring literature, encouraging them in their
walk and offering comfort through the written word. Lynn lives with her hubby
of 46 years in their Kentucky nest, emptied of three chicklets but visited by
three grand chicklets.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful insights, Lynn. Our wonderful Lord is the only place to look when rest is what we need. Wonderfully written reminder.
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