Hi Friends,
Have you ever truly rested? I’m not talking about your yearly family vacation, or going away to visit your family, but have you ever truly rested? Have you ever taken the time to just clear your mind and spend time with the Lord? Rest is important as Christian, oftentimes rest is what brings refreshing. Despite what social media throws at us about anxiety, stress, and equally throwing lavish vacations in front of us it feels as rest is an unattainable thing. You can have a true rest where your mind and your body functions at ease because you don’t have to live a life of exhaustion. You can live giving your 100% and feeling at rest in your mind and waking up recharged. You just gotta tap in.
What does the Word say about rest?
Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Genesis 2:2-3 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested[a] from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
Clearly, God created rest. He rests and he actually blesses what we call the sabbath which is a day of rest. He loves a day set for rest and He also loves to give you rest, a peace of mind. One of the reasons why I love Matthew 11:28-30 is because of how simple it puts it all. If you’re weighty go to the Lord, He will give you rest.
A funny story to help you put a picture to this is that it took me 22 years to realize yoke and yolk were not the same thing. Not my brightest moment but I think it’s hilarious. However for years I had this image in my head of an egg cracked in half. I used to play a videogame as a kid called Cooking Mama and when the egg was in half you would have to pass the yolk to the other half. That’s actually how I envision what it’s like to give any weight I have to the Lord. It’s like passing the yolk to the empty shell and filling it. That would be the Lord taking your weight and then you take on what He has, which is a light burden. Now yolk and yoke aren’t the same thing but I’m certain the image will stick with you. Rest was made by the Creator for you to also enjoy!
How do you enter rest?
It gives any parental figure pleasure when you come and unload to them. The Lord wants us to do that with Him as our Heavenly Father. He wants us to come, confess what we feel in any way, and let Him teach us a better way through His Word. The Word is your best self help tool that will exist for eternity. It has advice for everything you can imagine! When you spend time in His presence Psalms says that there is fullness of joy. It’s hard to not feel restful and joyful at the same time. Oftentimes in His presence He removes what’s stressing you eat, robbing your peace, what’s physically taxing you. The book of Isaiah says He renews your strength. Rest should renew your strength.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, you can only benefit from the presence of God. Acts 3:20 says that times of refreshing come from the presence of God. Being refreshed is how anyone should feel coming out of a rest!
Take a Rest
I encourage you to take a good 30 minutes at the very least out of your day to day and just talk to the Lord. Speak to Him with words and also pray in the Holy Ghost, read your word, spend time in worship. But when you leave those 30 minutes don’t just walk away and leave the Lord there. You can keep talking to Him as your day goes. You can do life with the Lord. A life with the Lord is a restful one. Take every bit of your day to the Lord. Tell Him the exciting and unload what has bothered you. Let Him do what He does best, fulfill what His Word says because He’s not a man the He would lie and the Word is God breathed. He does what He says He’ll do and that means rest for you, peace that surpasses understanding for you, and a steady heart. So what are you going to do? Are you going to tap in and take part in what’s yours in the Word when it comes to rest? Or are you going to keep carrying things on your own? The choice is yours but the Lord said you can come to HIm and He would give you rest.
