Just a quick testimonial...
I drove to a meeting out in the country on Sunday afternoon. It was a three hour drive, so I brought several praise and worship CD's to listen to along the way. As a short preface this story, Mommy and I have had a difficult last couple of weeks. We have been under quite a lot of stress at work, and our difficulties have seemed to follow us home each evening. I really needed some time alone to think and pray...
Back to the car: I was listening to my favorite of these CD's (from a recent ACTS Retreat I attended), singing along loudly as I drove. At that moment, I felt like the Lord was blessing me with His Holy Presence. I was openly crying and felt so free. The music and surrounding landscape was so amazingly beautiful!
The next song on the CD ("Come to Me" by David Kauffman) began playing as I continued to drive and sing along:
"My burden is easy. My yoke is so light.
If you need rest, come to Me.
You who are weary. You who are laden.
Give to Me your worry, your anguish,
And I will set you free..."
Then, as I was singing these words, I glanced to my right and saw the entrance to what was either a ranch or a new development. On the archway above the gate in huge letters were the words "EL SUENO." Now I don't know if you know this, but the definition of the spanish word sueno in english is "an unconscious state entered into by the body for the purpose of rest and rejuvination." The translation of "El Sueno" in english is "The Dream." However, "EL" is also used over 250 times in its basic form in the Hebrew Tanakh "as a title for God meaning 'strength, might or power'" (click here for reference).
Am I dreaming? I believe that He was right there with me on Sunday afternoon displaying His great love, power and goodness...along with His impeccable sense of timing:
EL SUENO = GOD OF REST ?!
I believe and...
I love you.
-Daddy
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." -Matthew 11:28-30 NASB
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him." -Psalms 62:1 NIV
"Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, 'So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'' And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: 'And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.' And again in the passage above he says, 'They shall never enter my rest.' It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.' For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." -Hebrews 4:1-11 NIV
"It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." -2 Corinthians 4:13-15 NIV
"Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons." -Deuteronomy 4:9 NASB
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." -Isaiah 26:3 NIV
