Rest…In Peace

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Gentlemen, every day is a battle. A battle for your faith, your family, and your purpose. The men who stand strong don't prepare when the battle arrives. They prepare before it begins. Welcome to the Men's Morning Devotional. Let's get into God's word. It's time to man up. Well, it's Friday, everybody. Welcome to the final episode of week two of the Men's Morning Devotional. Hopefully you've enjoyed this podcast devotional up to this point. And if you're just catching on, go back and listen to week one or the rest of week two. We've been hitting so many different areas for men to man up, but this week we've been hitting the different arenas of a man's actual life. The morning, the workplace, the home, the inner life. And today we're going to close with something that might be a little countercultural. You know, we've got the big anvil, the image of strength and ironing, sharpening iron. And it's tough and it's. It's hard. And I believe in all that. I'm a big part of all that today. I also think that there's something we should discuss that might seem a little bit softer, but it's. It's not. And so here's our man up moment for this Friday. The man who rests in God is the hardest man to shake. Psalm chapter 4, verse 8 says this. In peace I will lie down and sleep for you alone. Lord, make me dwell in safety. I like to look at that verse and think, wow, if he is saying, for you alone make me safe. And that means I am literally only safe in God, I'm not safe when my bank account hits a certain number. I'm not safe. When finally all the little ducklings of my home are within my purview again, I'm not safe when things are going my way. I am only safe in God. This psalm is written by David and so many of the different psalms throughout scripture talking about how unsafe David's circumstances are. But because he knew ultimately his safety came from God, he was able to handle all of those circumstances. And really, at the end of his life, he was the only one standing. Nobody who raised a hand against him had the last laugh. You see, this is the. This is why it's more challenging for us today. Most men don't rest well. We will lie down, but our mind is still running. We'll try to sleep, but we're still rehearsing tomorrow. In our minds, a man who can't rest is a man who hasn't fully surrendered control. I once heard somebody say one of the most spiritual things you can do is just go to sleep because you're actually trusting God to take care of things while you are not working. Manning up in this area actually means you get to the end of your day and after you've given your absolute best in the morning, at work, at home, all that, you get to the end. You know, there's still a gap between what needs to get done and what you've done, but you actually get to say, lord, I did what I could. The rest is yours. The true nature of me being safe, and men don't even like that. Yet at the same time, if we feel like we can't keep our family safe because the restaurant's a little too loud or we don't have our back facing the door, we can go nuts. But the reality is, is that our safety is not found in our exit strategies or in our training. It's found ultimately in God. And that's what's so interesting about this. He says, in peace, I will lie down and sleep, Lord, because I'm safe in you. It's because I trust you, because I believe you are who you say you are, and you'll do what you say you will do. So here's our man up challenge. Actually, truthfully, before you go to sleep tonight, pull this verse back out. Spend a minute or two in Psalm 4, verse 8. Say it out loud. In peace, I will lie down and sleep for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Let that be the thing you rehearse as you're going to sleep. And now let's just close this great week in prayer. Lord, as we bring this week to a close, we lay it all down. The wins, the failures, the things we didn't finish, the things that we're worried about. All that, Father, because you alone are our safety. So we choose peace today, tonight, and tomorrow. Not because our circumstances are perfect or because everything is resolved. But, Lord, because you are. Thank you. In Jesus name, amen. All right, gentlemen, you've heard God's word, now go live it. Lead well, stand strong, honor God in everything you do. Share this devotional with another brother, and we'll see you tomorrow morning. Remember, every day is another opportunity to man up.