Rest (Conclusion)

“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)

Spring in southern Virginia

The first two verses of Isaiah 57 show us the final and best place that we can find rest:  “Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time.  But no one seems to care or wonder why.  No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.  For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die” (NLT).  So when I die, I will rest in peace in Heaven forever.   I don’t take the word “rest” literally in this case.  I don’t believe that I will be sitting on a cloud playing a harp.  I believe that God will have things for me to do, and I know that I will spend time with Jesus and in the throne room praising and worshipping God Almighty.  I can rest in whatever God asks me to do because there will be no anxiety, no tension, and no opposition.  All who know that I am doing God’s work will be pleased, and I will be pleased with the work they are doing for God.  There will be no jealousy and no comparison of the usefulness of  our tasks.  We will all be joyful in fulfilling the wishes of our Lord.    

   God gives us rest, safety, and most of all, salvation as the Psalmist tells us in Psalm 62:1,2:  “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (NIV).  Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we know that no matter what happens here on earth, we will have peace and rest in Him for eternity.  

   I hope that this short series on rest helps you to know where our ultimate rest comes from”:  “Come to me,,,and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV).