Day Fifty One - Restless

Did you know that the heaviest bench press in a single lift is 401.5 kg (885lbs) achieved by Blaine Sumner at the 2016 Arnold Sports Festival held in Columbus, Ohio, USA, on 5 March 2016. That little nugget of information came from the Official Guinness World Records Website.

To put that in perspective, did you know a Concert Grand Piano weighs between 400-425kg. Can you imagine going to the gym, lying down on a bench and attempting to lift a grand piano above your chest to the extension of your arms? No, I can’t either!

But there are times in life when you feel like there is a grand piano sitting on your chest. And no matter what you do, you can’t shift it, you can’t lift it. Life has the knack of crushing us, of knocking the wind out of us. There are times when all we long to do is to rest in God.

St Augustine of Hippo said the wonderful words:

“You move us to delight in praising You; for You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

When the weight of the world is pressing down all around us it is amazing to know that we are God’s creation, that he has made us for himself, we are his. Wow. And that discomfort you feel, the pain and the hurt, the crushing weight that cannot be shifted, God is reaching his hand out to you to bring rest.

Audrey Assad and Matt Maher have turned those words of St Augustine into the song Restless. The first line says, “You dwell in the songs that we are singing”, and it reminds me that God dwells in everything we do. Yes, even those moments when life is crushing us. Some people think that God abandons us when we need him most, that he is just absent. The keeper of our hearts cannot be anywhere but by our side, it’s what he promises. Today, if Christmas is crushing you, or the worries around Covid-19 are squeezing the life out of you, or a thousand and one other troubles press down on you, listen for the whisper in the dark that says “You are loved, you are my beloved”.

Take a moment to listen to this beautiful song, to hear the words, to be taken up by the majestic melody, and in the silence of your heart to find rest.

You dwell in the songs that we are singing

Rising to the heavens, rising to Your heart, Your heart

Our praises filling up the spaces

In between our frailty and everything you are

You are the keeper of my heart

And I am restless, I'm restless

'Til I rest in You, 'til I rest in You

I am restless, I'm restless

'Til I rest in You, 'til I rest in You

Oh God, I wanna rest in You

Oh, speak now for my soul is listening

Say that You have saved me, whisper in the dark, the dark

'Cause I know You're more than my salvation

Without You I am hopeless, tell me who You are

You are the keeper of my heart

You are the keeper of my heart

And I am restless, I'm restless

'Til I rest in You, 'til I rest in You

I am restless, I'm restless

'Til I rest in You, 'til I rest in You

Songwriters: Matt Maher/Audrey Assad

Neil Chappell