31 Days of Being Still :: {day 29} Rest

We all look forward to our vacations. A time to get away, to take a break from the normal demands of life, and to rest.

But we all know how it goes. You work twice as hard the week before to tie up all the loose ends so you can relax. Stress mounts as you write the lists, do the packing, and navigate all the last minute details of getting away. When you finally arrive at your destination, your blood pressure is elevated and it takes you two or three days to get into a vacation frame of mind. Then the week is over before you know it. And then you are insanely busy the week after as you try to catch up from all you missed while away.

We often need a vacation from our vacation.

Perhaps this isn’t the kind of rest God promises.

Perhaps two weeks out of fifty-two is not what God had in mind.

Maybe the rest God promises is more a state of mind and heart in the midst of the every day.

We know it is not possible, nor is it biblical, to live every day in a state of continual physical rest – there are things to do. But we can live in a state of constant spiritual rest, even in the midst of chaos.

God’s rest is a gift He offers to us, both in this life and in the next.

Rest Here and Now

If His gift of rest is for the here and now, then we want to make every effort to receive and appreciate what God has already provided.

God has given us Sabbaths – a day in our week set aside for rest. Sadly, many of us use it as another day to get things done. I still remember months ago when my husband met me in the laundry room one Sunday afternoon and gently pried the laundry basket from my hands. He was right – there are six other days to do laundry. The Sabbath is a gift from God for our good, but we need to receive it as such.

Eternal Rest

God has given us work to do while on earth. But as we throw ourselves wholeheartedly into that work, we can know there is rest coming. Heaven’s rest is a promise and we can look forward to it with much anticipation.

So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labours, just as God did after creating the world.   ~ Hebrews 4:9-10 (NLT)

 

“Take anything you delight in here on earth: Your children. Your craftwork. Your hot tub. The dewed green of a fairway on a July morning. The sweet corn from your garden, butter-drenched. Enjoy them all. Find rest in them. But imagine how much more awaits you.”          ~ Mark Buchanan The Rest of God

 

Ask God to enable you to experience His rest right where you are today.

Reflections for Being Still Today: When do you feel most at rest? How can you enter the rest of God in the midst of your busy life Scripture for Being Still Today: He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.   ~ Psalm 23:3 (NLT) Practice Being Still Today: Pick of Scripture verse that has special meaning for you right now and write it down to carry with you throughout the day. Read it when you have a spare moment and let His truth lead you to rest in Him in the midst of ordinary life.