Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 116:7-9, KJV

 

There is something so profound taught to us about the heart in this Scripture. In Psalm 116:7, the psalmist speaks gently to the soul, inviting it to return to rest. To return … as if we’ve temporarily strayed from home. Isn’t that beautiful? It suggests that our heart’s natural state is rest.

 

There is comfort in this perspective, because it reminds us that everything our hearts feel that is contrary to rest should be temporary. Anything that opposes rest – anxiety, fear, overwhelm – is contrary to what God intends for us. There is clear biblical grounding for this when we consider how often God invites us to rest in him. (Matthew 11:28; Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6-7)

 

David reminds us to call our hearts back to the state in which they are meant to be. What he states in Psalm 116:8 is like a gentle grounding technique. Counsellors use grounding techniques to help those experiencing panic or anxiety by naming – out loud – things that are real and present: what they can see, hear, or touch. This practice draws the mind back from spiralling too far into fear or imagined outcomes and gently anchors it again in reality.

 

David does something strikingly similar. He speaks to a heart that has wandered and calls it back – not by denying distress, but by naming truth. The Lord has dealt bountifully with him. The Lord has delivered his soul from death, his eyes from tears, and his feet from falling. In other words: God has been good. God has protected him before. God has been faithful. By rehearsing these truths, David anchors his heart in what is real – and finds rest there.

 

And so can we. Our hearts can return from anxiety to peace, not because circumstances have changed, but because God has not.

 

Peace isn’t something we earn; it is a gift, freely given by God. (John 14:27) And when we fix our attention on his goodness – past and present – our hearts naturally return to that place of rest.

 

He has always been good. He will always be good. That is where our hearts find their home.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your faithfulness, and for giving my heart a home where it can rest in you. Help me to return to that rest, even when the world tries to pull me away. Amen.

 

 

Uit hierdie Bybelgedeelte leer ons iets baie diepgaande oor die hart. In Psalm 116:7 praat die psalmdigter met sy siel, hy nooi dit uit om tot rus te kom. Terug te keer ... asof dit tydelik van die huis af weggedwaal het. Is dit nie mooi nie? Dit dui daarop dat ons hart se natuurlike toestand rus is.

 

Hierdie perspektief bied vertroosting want dit herinner ons daaraan dat alles wat ons harte voel wat teenstrydig is met rus, tydelik van aard is. Enigiets wat rus teëstaan – angs, vrees, oorweldiging – is teenstrydig met wat God vir ons bedoel. Daar is 'n duidelike bybelse grondslag hiervoor wanneer 'n mens besef hoe dikwels God ons uitnooi om in Hom te rus. (Matteus 11:28; Jesaja 26:3; Filippense 4:6-7)

 

Dawid sê dat ons hart tot rus moet kom, die toestand waarin dit bestem is om te wees. Wat hy in Psalm 116:8 sê, klink asof grondingstegnieke betrokke is. Raadgewers gebruik grondingstegnieke om diegene wat paniek of angs ervaar te help deur hulle te vra om dinge wat werklik en teenwoordig is – dit wat hulle kan sien, hoor of aanraak – hardop te noem. Hierdie metode verhoed dat die gedagtes nie op loop gaan en in vrees of denkbeeldige uitkomste verval nie, en dit help om jou weer in die realiteit te anker.

 

Dawid doen iets soortgelyks. Hy praat tot 'n hart wat afgedwaal het en hy roep dit tot rus – nie deur deur die nood te ontken nie, maar deur die waarheid op te noem. Die Here het goed gedoen aan hom. Die Here het sy lewe van die dood gered, sy oë van trane, sy voete van struikeling. Met ander woorde, God is goed. God beskerm. God is getrou. Deur hierdie waarhede te herhaal, anker Dawid sy hart in dit wat waar is – en daar vind hy rus.

 

Ons kan dit ook doen. Ons angstige harte kan weer vrede vind, nie omdat omstandighede noodwendig verander het nie, maar omdat God nooit verander nie.

 

Vrede is nie iets wat ons kan verdien nie, dit is 'n gratis geskenk van God. (Johannes 14:27) Wanneer ons ons aandag op sy goedheid vestig – verlede en hede – kom ons harte weer tot rus.

 

Hy was nog altyd goed. Hy sal altyd goed wees. Dit is waar ons harte 'n tuiste vind.