September 20, 2021
Ps 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Every heart yearns for rest, a place of mental equilibrium, tranquility, and calm. True rest comes from knowing God personally and abiding in a surrendered relationship with Him, yet so often I remove myself from this place of rest through my own stubborn sinfulness. Recently, I read Psalm 116, and verse 7 jumped off the page and gently burned its way into my heart; this verse was an answer to a prayer for God to settle my heart and give me peace.
Often throughout the book of Psalms, the Psalmist talks to himself and reminds himself of truth. Do you ever have conversations with yourself? I do, and often I have to remind myself of what is true. In Psalm 116:7 the psalmist tells himself to return to rest which implies he was at a place of tranquility but removed himself from it.
We, like the psalmist, can go back to a place of peace because of Who God is and what He has done for us. God truly has dealt bountifully with us, and His goodness leads us to repentance, a place of right fellowship. When I think of the word “bountifully”, I think of a basket full of beautiful fall fruits and vegetables, and that abundance of good things is a perfect picture of God’s heart toward us.
My heart can rest and be at peace because of God’s bountiful dealings with me. His greatest gift to me is salvation, and daily He “loadeth us with benefits” (Psalm 68:19).
One of my goals as a Christian composer is to set scripture to music. Memorization is not my strong suit, and singing a verse imprints God’s words on my mind and heart. I have written a simple tune to help me remember this verse, and below is a free pdf of the song.
-Ashley
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