Worry is the number-one rest-robber. And it has some ugly relatives\u2014anxiety, uneasiness, apprehension, dread. Fear lives in the same neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of those\nscoundrels troubled me before I came to the Lord pleading, \u201cTeach me to rest!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our worry\nusually involves other people, and it mostly concerns the present and the\nfuture\u2026what\u2019s going on today\u2026what might happen tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Change is what\nwe\u2019re after. We pour out words\u2026and more words. Passionately. Desperately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember a\nrelationship where God literally shut my mouth. I\u2019d start to speak, explaining\nto the Lord, \u201cI need to say\u2026\u201d He\u2019d respond, \u201cYou already said that.\u201d This\nhappened over and over. Finally, he said, \u201cAs long as they hear your voice,\nthey cannot hear mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once I acknowledged circumstances\u2014today and tomorrow\u2014are beyond my control, the Lord opened my eyes to see how creative he is intervening in complicated, often hopeless, circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Lord opened my eyes to see how creative he is intervening in complicated, often hopeless, circumstances. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n I began keeping a folder labeled \u201cGod stirs the heart.\u201d As I studied his Word, I\u2019d file Scriptures stating God stirs the spirit or turns the heart. Here are a few notes (italics mine).<\/p>\n\n\n\n God moved hearts to bring about deliverance\nof the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Lord made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes, whose hearts he turned to hate his people<\/em>, to conspire against his servants\u201d (Psalm 105:24-25 NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded<\/em> by Pharaohs officials and by the people\u201d (Exodus 11:3 NIV). <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo to Pharaoh, for I<\/em> have hardened his heart<\/em> and the hearts of his officials <\/em>so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 10:1-2 NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people<\/em>, and they gave them what they asked for, so they plundered the Egyptians\u201d (Exodus 12:35-36 NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n God moved the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia, to make a proclamation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia<\/em>, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem\u201d (Ezra 1:1-4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n God moved the hearts of family heads to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised<\/em>, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem\u201d (Ezra 1:5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n God moved the heart of the king of Assyria to finish the house of the Lord.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the King of Assyria<\/em>, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel” (Ezra 6:22 NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Praise be to the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s heart <\/em>to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way” (Ezra 7:27 NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Haman had gallows\nbuilt to hang Mordecai, but something (God?) disturbed King Zerxes during the\nnight.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat night the king could not sleep<\/em>; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king\u2019s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes\u201d (Esther 6:1-2 NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n God moved an official of the king’s court to show favor to Daniel.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel<\/em>\u201d (Daniel 1:8-9 NIV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This barely begins my study, but here\u2019s what I\u2019m learning. God stirs hearts to achieve his purposes. Are you convinced yet? This settled the issue for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/strong>The king\u2019s heart is in the hand of the Lord<\/em>, as the rivers of water: he turneth<\/em> it whithersoever he will\u201d (Proverbs 21:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I love this! \u201cThine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all<\/em>. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name\u201d (1 Chronicles 29:10-13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGod stirs the heart\u201d is an ongoing study, and my folder is bulging. Conclusion: my words will not bring change, but my prayers can\u2014because God is the One who turns hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMy words will not bring change, but my prayers can\u2014because God is the One who turns hearts. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no persuasion will do if God openeth not the eyes\u201d (Pilgrim\u2019s Progress).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe may\u2026use today the weapons of prayer to control our\ncircumstances. Whether it is a national, family, church or personal affair, we\nmay govern it by prayer\u201d (Watchman Nee, The<\/em>\nLord My Portion<\/em> Oct. 19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n If God can open a donkey\u2019s eyes to see the angel of the Lord\nand open his mouth to speak to the prophet Balaam (read that story in Numbers\n22), surely he can stir the heart of the person I love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why should I let worry rob my rest?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Would you tell me what our mighty God is teaching you about worry? And please share this with your friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Scriptures from KJV unless noted.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Worry is the number-one rest-robber. And it has some ugly relatives\u2014anxiety, uneasiness, apprehension, dread. Fear lives in the same neighborhood. All of those scoundrels troubled me before I came to the Lord pleading, \u201cTeach me to rest!\u201d Our worry usually involves other people, and it mostly concerns the present and the future\u2026what\u2019s going on today\u2026what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[356,9,359,357,57],"class_list":["post-994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-anxiety","tag-dianne-barker","tag-god-stirs-the-heart","tag-prayer","tag-rest"],"yoast_head":"\n