Resting Even When You Wrestle

When darkness veils His lovely face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In ev’ry high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil

The Solid Rock 1834
By: Edward Mote (1797-1874)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

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Everyone, enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we continue our journey through this classic hymn, ask yourself again today upon what are you truly building your hope. Let’s tune our hearts.

Veils

Sometimes it is simply hard to see where God is.

We all face situations that leave us wondering how God is at work. We ask how He is going to work this together for my good. We struggle to understand why He would allow such difficulty into our lives and begin to ask if we have brought it on ourselves, or worse still, if God even cares.

If you are honest with yourself, you have probably felt all these things at one time or another. When Jesus’ lovely face is veiled from our eyes, it makes us wonder where He went, or where we went wrong. Darkness is not always our doing, but it is always allowed by God’s design. Especially then, we must remember that His face, and everything about Him for that matter, is lovely.

It may be veiled, but it is no less true.

When darkness veils His lovely face

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son…Colossians 1:13 ESV

Whether spiritual or physical darkness ensues, we can rest in the deliverance of our God. Even when we can not see Him, we can rest in the fact that we are in His kingdom of light, no longer a kingdom of darkness. Ask Jesus to help you trust when you can not see His face.

There are times in every life when things happen that obscure our view of God’s beauty. It is as if there is a veil that hides Him from us. Do not be discouraged when this happens because every believer experiences this. Simply ask Him for the faith to believe He is still there.

RESONATE!
Take a few moments and ask the Lord to help you trust when darkness comes. It is easier to trust in the light, and thankfully God brings many times when light abounds, but darkness does not change Him. It merely presents us with the opportunity to deepen our faith and trust. Ask Him today for that kind of faith. Pray, “Father, give me the faith to believe when I can not see.” 

Rest

Do you remember what it felt like to place your faith in the grace of God to redeem you from your sins? Through no merit of your own, Jesus gave His life for you. Recall how lovely that grace was when you first believed.

Darkness and veils can make us feel like that grace may have changed, or we may have misinterpreted it. Neither are true. God’s grace is the same as the moment you first received it by faith. You did not exaggerate it, or overestimate it. It is marvelous, vast and free.

Storms come. When they do, we can find ourselves questioning if we understood what Jesus offered us. We can think the life of faith is easy because of the rest we find in Christ. But that rest becomes real when unrest washes over us through challenging circumstances.

Circumstances change. Jesus’ grace does not. Rest in it.

I rest on His unchanging grace

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24 ESV

We rest by hearing and doing what Jesus taught us to do. We do not simply stop doing. Sometimes we must start doing, and keep doing. These actions will make us wise and help us to build the foundation of our faith on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Are you resting today?

If we believe that His grace is unchanging when darkness and difficulty come, we can find rest because our faith in Him is unshaken. This is simple, but not easy. You cannot change His grace, and neither can your circumstances. Thank God for His unchanging grace.

RESONATE!
Resting is active. Sometimes we think that resting is only stillness, but it can require great exertion at times. We are obviously talking about more than just the physical, but the mental, emotional and spiritual as well. Take a few moments right now to think about resting. God’s unchanging grace provides an atmosphere where that can occur. Thank Him for that right now.  Pray, “God, thank You for your unchanging grace.”

Jesus, thank You for your lovely face and unchanging grace, and the incredible way in which they are connected. Help me to strain and press to see You, even when You are veiled from my eyes. Teach me to rest even while I struggle. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Active Tuning!

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Video 28.2 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

When darkness veils His lovely face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In ev’ry high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil

There are times in every life when things happen that obscure our view of God’s beauty. It is as if there is a veil that hides Him from us. Do not be discouraged when this happens because every believer experiences this. Simply ask Him for the faith to believe He is still there.

Father, give me the faith the believe when I can not see.

If we believe that His grace is unchanging when darkness and difficulty come we can find rest because our faith in Him is unshaken. This is simple, but not easy. You cannot change His grace, and neither can your circumstances. Thank God for His unchanging grace.

God, thank You for your unchanging grace.

Storms come. They are unavoidable. They are also opportunities to expand your capacity to be filled with peace in situations that are not peaceful. Think of a storm you have faced. Maybe you are facing one right now. Thank the Holy Spirit for helping you rest in the storms.

Spirit, thank You for helping me rest in the storms.

This is powerful imagery. An anchor holds a ship in place even when the waves may be tossing it about, all without being seen. Jesus is that anchor for our souls. He holds us in place even when the most violent storms assail us, though His presence is often veiled. Thank Him.

Jesus, thank You for being my anchor within the veil.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time,
Be Resonant.

The post Resting Even When You Wrestle appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
When darkness veils His lovely face – https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-young-african-girl-look-up-5919549/
I rest on His unchanging grace – https://pixabay.com/photos/cross-sunset-humility-devotion-2981216/