We Rest in the Finished Work of Christ

Read Psalm 131.

Contentment and satisfaction are not the same. If you're satisfied in your relationship with the Lord, you won’t be content in life. You won’t find peace there. But, if you aren’t satisfied, and want to know Him and pursue Him more, you’ll find an ever-growing peace and contentment in life.

SAUL’s soul became anxious and disquieted because of his turning from obedience to the Lord. The only thing that calmed and quieted his soul was for David to come and play the harp for him. The music brought a momentary peace for Saul, but knowing Christ Jesus our Lord brings an everlasting peace to our life!

A lot of us, like Saul, try to quiet our soul on our own. But peace comes when you realize that you can’t do it on your own, and you don’t have to do it on your own!

Where are true peace and contentment found? What does God’s Word say about it, and how do I receive that from Him? It’s in our pursuit of the Lord that we receive peace and our soul is quieted even in life’s raging storms. But how does that happen?

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Matthew 6:25, 33

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Philippians 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

In all of these verses, you see the pursuit and the finished work. Not being satisfied, yet being perfectly content.

ABRAHAM’s soul was filled with anxiety as he took his son to Mount Moriah. He trusted in the Lord, but you know his stomach was churning, his heart beating out of his chest. But as he raised the knife to sacrifice his beloved son, out of the corner of his eye he spotted the Ram. His soul was calm and quieted, because the Lord provided the sacrifice. At that moment, he knew the real definition of peace.

The Ram is Christ.

It’s His sacrifice, His finished work, that gives us peace, hope, joy, and rest. In Him, we rest from our work (see Hebrews). In Him our souls are calmed and quieted because He did what we couldn’t do: He provided the sacrifice.

We rest in the finished work of Christ Jesus our Lord.

We rest through His Spirit living in us.

And we passionately pursue Him, growing to be more like Him, because peace, joy, hope, and contentment are found only in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He Quiets My Soul

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