Revive Us Again
Have you ever felt no matter where you turn there is chaos, stress, and overwhelm around each corner? Maybe you feel that you’ll never experience peace again and that it’s something so far away that there is no hope it will ever be yours. I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that you have, I know that I have. It can happen before we know it. We think we’re doing just fine and then all of a sudden, we’re drowning in it. We’re short with those we love the most. We are running around to all of the things barely keeping afloat.
We wonder when things will get better but aren’t very hopeful. There is hope and peace available to us. I love what Psalm 85:8 ESV says “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.”
According to my ESV Study Bible this Psalm was written as a lament for the Israelites due to their unfaithfulness and is based on Exodus 34:6-7 where Moses is addressing the Israelites after they had melted all their gold and formed into calf, an idol, so that they could worship it. You see, Moses had been on Mount Sinai talking with God for too long and they weren’t sure that he was ever coming back. They had lost their hope. They were getting impatient and wanted something to worship. This sounds like a lack of peace to me. They took matters into their own hands and chose to sin, they turned back to folly. Have you ever done that? Have you ever gotten so impatient in the waiting that you took matters into your own hands? Again, I know I have, and it has never turned out well for me or the people around me.
Psalm 85 is titled Revive Us Again. In verse eight the psalmist is saying that we need to listen to what God is saying to us. When we listen to Him - the source of all knowledge and truth - He gives peace in return. He is not chaotic. He is not stressful. He is not overwhelming. He is peace. The psalmist also says that God will speak. How comforting that we can rely on Him to speak peace to us? Will it happen right away, maybe, maybe not. All things happen in His perfect timing. We must surrender to His will and if we wait patiently without taking things into our own hands, He will speak and He will revive our peace.
There are so many messages that we get every day. How many of the messages that you receive are peaceful? From squabbling kids to the headlines to the demanding boss the messages that are spoken into our lives on a daily basis are anything but peaceful. When we get overwhelmed by these messages, we have a place to turn to be filled with messages of peace, love, hope, and joy. He will revive us again. He will speak into our lives and revive our peace.
We don’t have to take matters into our own hands. We can have hope. We can have peace despite the chaos around us. We don’t have to turn back to folly. We can give ourselves the opportunity to hear Him. We can slow down and take the time to tune into what He has for us. We can pause and wait for the Lord to speak. We can be lifted out of the chaos, stress, and overwhelm by his voice that will speak
Elizabeth is originally from Upstate New York and relocated to Las Vegas in the spring of 2011 to enjoy the sunshine and . She has been married to her hubby for more than more than 15 years and they have two rescue dogs, Aria and Durango.
Elizabeth is the owner of New Life Counseling where she works one on one with individuals who have survived traumatic experiences, suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. While Elizabeth loves seeing the change and healing that happens through one on one sessions with her clients, she felt the call to expand her business. In the spring of 2021 she founded The Stress Less Academy. Elizabeth has a passion to help overwhelmed and stressed Christian women manage their stress from a Biblical perspective. She educates women on how to set boundaries, manage their stress, and live the life the Lord has called them to live. You can read more of her writings at www.thestresslessacademy.net Elizabeth also hosts The Stress Less Community Group on Facebook where there is a community of women banding together to live a Stress Less Life, you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/303089754306655