Rest in Peace

Rest in Peace

Last night as I prayed and sought the Lord.  As my mind swirled and my heart broke for what I knew was wounding and hurting others I asked the Lord to fill my mind with his heart. My heart banging in my chest like a locomotive.   Anxiety tossing my emotions back and forth I cried out over and over.
I felt my mind fill with this one simple phrase...
Rest in Peace.
Rest in peace.  What the heck?  Was He talking about my Justin?  No, that didn't seem to fit. Rest in Peace.  I have always heard this in regards to someone stepping into eternity. Notice I did'nt say dead. Death is momentary, a split second after that it is all eternity.
Anyway....as I tried to get clarity on this occured to me:
There is no resting in heaven.  You don't need rest in heaven.  Why do we say rest in peace?  Peace is a given in heaven.  You are in the presence of Jesus, in the presence of the Prince of Peace.  I think Peace is a sure bet.  As a matter of fact heaven is full of the fruit of the Spirit.  I think all our undeveloped fruit, is going to be huge and beautiful there.  Like the Land of Canaan, abundance like we have never seen or dreamed of.
Anyway....
I closed my eyes and saw a headstone.  Rest in peace.  Rest in peace.  Rest in peace.  I can choose peace now.  I am not sure how to get there but apparently it has something to do with rest.  It has to do with dying and appartently dying is very painful but the living that comes in the resurrection is full of joy.  Rest in peace.  Rest in the arms of the Prince of Peace.  Rest in the knowledge that all things work together for good.  Rest in peace, He is there. Invite peace into your circumstances, seek it in every moment, peace is there.
I am trying to get there.  Trying to calm the raging storm in my soul, trying to rest in peace, holding fast to the promise of resurrection life. Trying to find rest for my soul in that peace, in the Prince of Peace. In the peace that comes from resting in Him.  My heart is still pounding, my mind still racing and sometimes I feel like I am dying..... but I am seeking peace, choosing peace.

So I choose to rest in peace and I will probably have to continue to choose that until I don't have to anymore.  Until peace is just how I live, not what I have to choose.  Dying is never easy friends.

Rest in Peace friends, and live in Hope.

Debbie

P.S. For more on the whole "dying to yourself" topic read Galatians 5 and Ephesians 4.