Pour, Trust, Rest

*all scripture is NIV1973 unless otherwise noted

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:5-8

This passage was written by King David during the days of his son Absolom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 15-18). David pours his heart out to God and finds hope when he waits patiently for God to defend and save.

Pour Out Your Hearts to Him

When you have a difficult situation happening in your world, when something is heavy on your heart, do you find yourself meeting a friend for coffee and pouring your heart out to her? On occasion do you even find yourself pouring your heart out to a complete stranger? In either of those circumstances, what is common is that when you pour your heart out, it takes more than a few seconds. You are usually engrossed in a long conversation with someone who is willing to listen and talk. We spend time with that person. We share deep feelings, hurts, and misunderstandings, along with hopes for resolutions and restoration.

Do you find that difficult to do with God? He desires for us to pour our hearts out to Him. He is our best friend. He loves us deeper than anyone ever could. He desires to listen to us more than any person on earth. When difficulties arise, He desires that deep, long, heartfelt, conversation where we pour our heart out to Him. Friends are a great source of encouragement and comfort, but He should always come first. Giving God 30 seconds of conversation when your heart is deeply hurt is not pouring your heart out to Him.

We see a great example of “pouring your heart out to God” from Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. She was married to Elkannah and struggled for years with infertility. She was deeply loved by her husband, to the point that he always gave her a double portion, yet her soul was longing for a child. She went to the temple, got on her knees and poured her heart out to the Lord, so much so that the priest Eli thought she was drunk:

Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.”

1 Samuel 1:15

Before you meet with a friend to pour your heart out to her, ask yourself this question: “Who will benefit from my sharing this information with her?” This question usually will cause you to pause long enough to think about the outcomes and decide if it is truly a good thing to do or not. It can also open the door for you to take time to speak more candidly and openly with God, who already knows your heart, and allow the Holy Spirit to work first, without the input of others. God wants to be your first “go to” person in every situation. When you spend time with Him, as a friend, pouring your heart out, there is a sense of comfort and peace that floods your soul. That peace allows you to rest in Him, knowing you can trust Him at all times in all situations.

Trust in Him at All Times

God is trustworthy. We can see this time and time again, not only through scripture but also in our own lives. In scripture we see God fulfill His promises to Abraham by making him the Father of many nations, to Moses by not destroying Israel and instead bringing them into the Promised Land, and to David by making him King over all Israel despite many years of struggle with Saul.

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Jeremiah 31:3b

Trust takes time. We can’t hurry God or the outcomes we would like to see. God’s timing is always perfect, however we can always see that clearly in hindsight. Trust also takes patience. We can have trust in God by standing firm in the knowledge of His faithfulness. If we didn’t go through difficulties, then we wouldn’t be able to see God move. And if we were never in a situation to see God move, then we would have no footing to have faith when future hard times come. When we have seen God work time and time again to bring us through difficult situations, we can stand firmly in the hope of His trustworthiness to bring us through again and again.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

God is our rock and our fortress. When we think about God our rock, it is not a picture of gravel on the road. It is a picture of a boulder that cannot be moved, one that we can climb on, hide in, and trust for protection. A fortress is a place of defense and protection against enemy attacks. It is a place where we can be saved from danger, be defended, find refuge, and not be shaken. A fortress is also defined as a person that is not susceptible to outside influence or disturbance. When we seek refuge in the arms of our Heavenly Father, pouring our hearts out to Him, and trusting Him for all things, allowing Him to be our defense and refuge, then we can find rest in Him.

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock

Isaiah 26:4

He said, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge, my savior…”

2 Samuel 22:2-3

Find Rest

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

Rest is the sweet reward that comes from trusting God’s goodness and sovereignty. You can experience peace of mind knowing that He is in control of all things. Your emotions, spiritual and even physical strength can be renewed. You can hear His voice more clearly allowing you to discern His will and direction for you. He promises to give rest to us, and when He does, we can find peace and have our souls refreshed.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

Psalm 23:2-3a

Prayer

Take some time to sit with the Father, the Lover of your soul, and have a deep, intimate conversation with Him.

What do you need to pour out to Him? 

What areas of life are you desperately needing to take refuge in Him as your defender? 

Declare your trust in Him in all situations and patiently wait in stillness of heart for Him to move so that you can enjoy the peace that passes all understanding.

I am standing in absolute stillness, silent before the one I love, waiting as long as it takes for him to rescue me. Only God is my Savior, and he will not fail me. For he alone is my safe place. His wraparound presence always protects me as my champion defender. There’s no risk of failure with God! So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me! … His wraparound presence is all I need, for the Lord is my Savior, my hero, and my life-giving strength. Trust only in God every moment! Tell him all your troubles and pour out your heart-longings to him. Believe me when I tell you, he will help you! Pause in his presence.

Psalm 62:5-8 The Passion Translation