Be all at rest, my soul toward God; from him comes my salvation.
Psa. 62. 1.
"Be all at rest, my soul." Oh! blessed secret
Of the true life that glorifies thy Lord:
Not always doth the busiest soul best serve him,
But he who resteth on his faithful word.
"Be all at rest."--"let not your heart be rippled,"
For tiny wavelets mar the image fair
Which the still pool reflects of heaven's glory--
And thus the Image he would have you bear.
"Be all at rest,"--for rest is highest service;
To the still heart God doth his secrets tell:
Thus shall thou learn to wait, and watch, and labor,
Strengthened to bear, since Christ in thee doth dwell.
For what is service but the life of Jesus
Lived through a vessel of earth's fragile clay;
Loving and giving; poured forth for others;
"A living sacrifice" from day to day?
And what shall meet the deep unrest around thee
But the calm peace of God that filled his breast?
For still a living voice must call the weary
To him who said, "Come unto me and rest."
Therefore "be all at rest, my soul," toward him,
If thou a revelation of the Lord would'st be;
For in the quiet confidence that never doubts him,
Others his truth and faithfulness shall see.
"Be all at rest," for rest alone becometh
The soul that casts on him its every care;
"Be all at rest"--so shall thy life proclaim him
A God who worketh and who heareth prayer.
"Be all at rest"--so shalt thou be an answer
To those who question, "Who is God, and where?"
For God is rest, and where he dwells is stillness,
And they who dwell in him that rest shall share.
--Freda Hanbury Allen.