Christ Our Shepherd Advent Devotion Series 2025
Traditional Thursday
December 18, 2025
O Rest in the Lord
Please enjoy this advent devotional written by Carolyn West, one of our newest members.
Written in 1846, the aria for solo alto “O Rest in the Lord” is taken from Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah” and is based on Psalm 37:
O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, And He shall give thee thy hearts desires.
Commit thy way to Him, and trust in Him, and fret not thyself because of evil doers.
O rest in the Lord, and wait, wait patiently for Him.
In 2020, I experienced the loss of my spouse of 49 years.
At that time, I had no idea that God had so many new experiences planned for me. I just had to trust and wait patiently for Him. Because I had a wonderful and long relationship, I became ready to try marriage again.
In 2024, I met the wonderful man that is now my spouse. We share many common bonds, and we both walk with a spiritual trust in Christ. Little did we know that a year later we would be blessed with the care of first, our 15-year-old granddaughter, and now with the joy of our 21-year-old granddaughter. Both young ladies came to us during difficult times. They bring us joy and fulfillment as grandparents. God continues to give us our heart’s desires for love, family, and joy in life.
During Advent, we wait patiently for our Lord to come. We never know what God has planned for us; but we are to trust in Him; and He will give us our heart’s desires.
Heavenly Father, thank you for knowing what and when we need new experiences in our lives. Help us to trust and wait patiently for you during this Advent season. Amen.
