Rest

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad  and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure.  Psalm 16:8,9  (NIV)

   Rest is something we all need, and the Word tells us a lot about our need for it.   Matthew 11:29-30 tells us the place of rest:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (NIV).   In the words of Jesus, He is the source of rest; “Come to me…and I will give you rest.”  One of the things I learn when I go to my Lord is that although He is the creator of the universe, He is humble, and He is gentle with those He calls His own—that’s you and me.  He is the one who gives our souls rest because, in Him, we know that He is preparing a home for us in eternity with Him.

   Hebrews 4:9-11 gives us a specific time for rest.  “There remains then, a sabbath of rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.   Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience  (NIV).   Evidently, it is disobedient not to rest, and He tells us to rest one day a week, that is, the Sabbath.  God rested after six days of creation, not that He was tired, but because He wanted to set an example for us.  It is important that we set aside a day every week to rest.  Where do we find that rest?  As Jesus said in Mathhew 11:28, “Come to me …and I will give you rest.”  And when we set aside that day of rest, it is good for us to do it together with other followers of Jesus.

   The Psalmist speaks of the need for rest in Psalm 55:6:  “I said, ‘Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest’”  (NIV).  David has become tired because of the great resistance He has for His reign as king.   His enemies, and some of them were in his own family, were speaking terrible things about the king, and many of the people were listening to these words of dissent.  We do not have the responsibilities of a king, but life today brings difficult times upon all of us, and we all need rest—a respite from our troubles.  That respite comes from one place, Christ, our Lord.

   Come back next time for part two of “Rest.”  Meantime, remember the source of rest, “Come to me…and I will give you rest”   (Matthew 11:28 NIV).