What Does your Soul Need?

By Carey Helmink

As we begin the new year together, you might be expecting a round of rousing worship. But as usual, you all are at the mercy of what I need – where I am in this moment of my life. 😊

I work a couple of different part time jobs. I am here at Lincoln Berean part time and at Norris High school where I give some private lessons and accompany the high school choirs. Christmastime is when my lives converge. In December, I had one stretch where 11 out of 12 nights I had either a performance or a rehearsal. And today, I find myself about a week and a half out from my youngest daughter’s wedding. It’s been a little crazy to say the least. I don’t share that so you will feel sorry for me – not at all. Your schedule or life stage may be different than mine, but no doubt you feel the stresses and pressures of life just like I do.

Where do you find yourself today? What is your soul in need of?

In my times with the Lord the past couple of weeks the thing that keeps coming up in readings or scripture is the word REST. Obviously, our bodies need rest, but that isn’t the biggest struggle for me. I’m pretty committed to sleeping enough on most days. The rest that I most desperately need is rest for my soul.

In Exodus 33, Moses has some questions for the Lord regarding his ways concerning his people and who will help Moses lead them. Listen to the Lord’s answer to Moses:

“My presence shall go with you and I will give you rest.”

Exodus 33:14

I’m sorry, Lord. Maybe you should go back and listen to Moses’ question again. That doesn’t really seem like an answer. Moses wanted specific answers, but what God gave him was his presence. Oh, and by the way, a by-product of the realization of his presence is rest.

I think about Jesus sleeping in the boat in the middle of a typhoon. His disciples were freaking out, but he was completely at rest because there was nothing going on at that moment that he couldn’t handle. And handle that storm, he did.

REST – that’s my word for 2020. I want to be at rest amidst the insanity of my life. I want to remember that his presence is always with me, that God has me and there is nothing that comes my way he can’t handle.

“Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.”

Psalm 131:2