Real Rest
Monday mornings roll around every week. I wonder how many people will be sitting in their offices punctuating their work with yawns. How many of them will be pinching themselves trying to stay awake? Has there been a run on toothpicks from the dining area?
We all suffer time-to-time from sleep deprivation. I have seen much evidence of that while preaching on Sundays. It’s rather humorous, I must say, to watch the struggles of people trying not to fall asleep and fall out of the pew in front of everyone.
Maybe they just need a vacation. We all enjoy a good vacation now and then. No matter what your idea is about a vacation, all of us have one thing in common. We are all busy and we need to take a break now and again.
Wanting to take a vacation does not mean that we are lazy. However, one of the great benefits of a vacation is being lazy if we want to. Wanting to take a vacation does not mean that we do not like our jobs. Some people don’t like their jobs, but I think most people are content. Wanting to take a vacation does not mean that we are tired of the people in our lives.
The main point of a vacation is to clear our heads and rest from the daily grind of responsibility and work. Now, there are some people who never disengage fully. They carry their work with them and carry on almost in the same way they would if they were home. But, that is not much of a vacation.
Rest has been a component of God’s plan for His people since the beginning. In Exodus 31:15, the Lord included rest in His law, “Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord”. This Sabbath rest for the Jewish people was based on the Lord’s own practice when “…He rested from all His work…” (Genesis 2:2). Creation was finished and the Lord rested.
Jesus took time away from the crowds to rest (Mark 6:31). If Jesus needed rest, we certainly do. Rest and relaxation are a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle. But, remember this. You may not have thought often of how beautiful the word “rest” really is. Even the Bible uses it in ways that sound so soothing.
“…you who are troubled, rest with us…” II Thessalonians 1:7
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9
“I will give you rest…” Matthew 11:28
“You will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29
“The Lord grant that you may find rest…” Ruth 1:9
“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:7
There is no greater joy than the rest offered by God to all people. “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him and His resting place shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:10). Real rest is possible when the mind is at peace. The mind can be at peace when it is convinced that it is right and happy. Therein is real rest! But, let us not get too comfortable here. Too much comfort here might make us forget that “There remains a rest for the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:9).
— Mike Johnson
