Rest through Trust in God
From death to life
From lost to redeemed
From weary to rested
From broken to restored
We have a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual need for rest. Mark Buchanan, in his book, The REST of God, proposes that if we do not redeem the original purpose of Sabbath, to rest, we will miss “the rest of God—the things of God’s presence and nature we miss in our busyness” (pg. 16).
We cannot find true rest or restoration outside of God. He is the author of rest and calls us to Him in order to rest from our weariness and restore our souls.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
(Matt. 11:28-29)
REST IS SYNONYMOUS WITH TRUST.
1. I rest when I trust that God is in control.
“Either God is good and in control, or it all depends on you” (Mark Buchanan, The REST of God, pg. 63). #truth
Whether or not we admit our issues with control, our very actions demonstrate how we wrestle to surrender to His will.
I know that I often have trouble truly praying, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Yet, when I truly submit, I can finally rest.
2. I rest when I trust that God has forgiven me of my sins and accept the relief He offers from that burden and that life.
Because the thing that most weighs on us, burdens us, and gets us down is sin. And in Christ, I find true rest: life after death.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
(Eph. 2:4-7)
3. I rest when I trust that God doesn’t rest.
Yes, God rested on the seventh day after creation. Yes, Jesus was physically tired as He experienced life here on earth.
But to God, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. His timing is perfect. His faithfulness is sure. His mercies are new every morning. He knows how many hairs are on my head, so why would I get worked up about whether or not my needs will be met—any of my needs.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matt. 6:25-34)
I TRUST; THEREFORE, I REST.
#IronRoseSister #restoration #realrest