Settle your heart. This has resonated in my heart for some time now. My best friend asked me earlier this year if I had a word for the year. At the time, I didn’t and honestly don’t always choose one word to focus on but I can’t seem to get away from “settle your heart.”

There are so many meanings behind the word “settle” but for me personally, the Father has been reminding me to quiet my heart and mind. To settle my heart, that means allowing Him to reveal the deep things hidden in my heart.

Settle means to quiet, calm, or bring to rest. It means calm or resolve.

Is there something you need to resolve in order to be settled in your heart? Is there something you need to say no to so that you have time for rest?

Sometimes it can be easy for us to unintentionally allow perfectionism or striving to overtake the calm. But the Father desires us to rest and to settle in His love and peace. As we settle in the arms of the Father, He will settle our hearts.

A friend shared a verse in Psalm 113 last week and as I continued to read the verses following, my heart resonated deeply.

He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.

Psalm 113:9

My heart came alive as I read those words, “He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.” I remember praying many prayers for a dear friend who longed to be a mother. While she waited for a long time, I look back and see how she kept her focus on trusting the Father and chose to believe even in the waiting and the unknowing. And the Father settled her heart, giving her peace and hope in the waiting.

Maybe you are waiting for a child, or maybe you feel barren because of something entirely different. Perhaps something else is causing you to feel a sense of emptiness. If you feel barren or empty, know that you have a Father who wants to settle your heart. Not only will He take your heart and bring the calm, He will fill any void with an unconditional love.

I know He is settling mine in my personal story and I know He will settle yours, too. No matter where you are in your journey with Him, may you find joy as you allow Him to settle your heart.