Come Learn Rest Ministries

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. ~Hebrews 6:17-20

As soon as I feel anxiety start to flood my soul, I am learning to seek refuge in hope by holding onto the encouragement and certainty of Christ’s presence . The author of the book of Hebrews describes hope as an anchor for the soul. Just as an anchor provides confirmation that a boat will not just float away into unknown waters, God confirms the hope within us through Jesus, our Redeemer and Strength.

The following prayer has helped me to remember the treasured truths and promises found in the book of Hebrews.

An Anxious Person’s Prayer
O Holy Spirit, give me stillness of soul in you,
Calm the turmoil waiting, with the gentleness of your peace.
Quiet the anxiety within, with the a deep trust in you.
Heal the wounds of sin within, with the joy joy of your forgiveness.
Strengthen the faith within, with the awareness of your presence.
Confirm the hope within, with the knowledge of your strength.
Give fullness to the love within, with an outpouring of our love.
O Holy Spirit, be to me a source of light, strength and courage
so that I may hear your call ever more clearly
and follow you more generously.
~William Browning, CP

May the sure and steadfast presence of Christ confirm the hope within you and within me each new day. Amen and Amen.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.
~Psalm 130:5-8

The Psalms are about people reaching out to God, people waiting and watching for the arrival of the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).  With our spiritual lives on the lines we confess and cling to God who waits for our return. In the quietness of such reaching moments, we prayerfully wait for God’s generous, redeeming love to deliver our souls from whatever sin has captured our hearts.

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
~Isaiah 30:15

In our reaching and our returning, may you and I rest and receive strength in watching and waiting with hope.