Rest For It
"Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. [29] Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you'll discover that I'm gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. [30] For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear." Matthew 11:28-30 TPT
I love this passage of scripture. It says exactly what I need to do even when I think I've got things under control: come to the Lord.
Recently, I had a baking project to complete but was interrupted by some work that needed to be done in my kitchen. As the deadline was approaching, I became increasingly anxious about my to-do list. As I went to the Lord for help, I heard these words in my heart, "Rest for it". Not what I was expecting, but I continued listening for instructions. After all, I’ve always been able to trust in His voice.
As I listened, He spoke to my heart these words, "What you need is on the inside of you. It's not released under pressure, but it's revealed through peace. It's in the quietness of your soul when my voice is heard. Don't let what's happening on the outside affect you on the inside."
Colossians 3:15 says, “Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, who called you to peace as part of his one body. And always be thankful.”
Rest and peace go hand in hand. When you are in peace, there is a calmness that is in your soul. His peace brings an assurance that all things are in His control, and that which concerns you is in His hands. While I was trying to rest as the Lord instructed, He spoke again. He said my busyness stifles the creativity He has put inside of me. I can tell you I didn't need to do most of the things that were on my list to do.
So I spent time away from my challenging vegan gluten-free wedding cake, and I rested. For me, that meant I went to the mall, watched a movie, went to the gym, and chatted with friends. I slowed down. I took several naps and listened to the doves cooing outside my window. In the end, the cake was done, and I felt a million times better.
The Father, after creating the world, rested and Jesus did what He saw His Father do. Jesus took time away to rest and replenish Himself. Will you have to trust Him? Absolutely. It can be frightening to take time to truly rest. But it's by faith that we trust that He will take care of us.
The Lord doesn't want us working nonstop, serving without ceasing, and giving of ourselves without being refilled. Our society operates at a pace that we have to resist and yield to the Lord's work of grace in our lives. And I've struggled with a pattern of working and depleting my energy reserves. By his love and grace, He came to my rescue in this moment and revealed a better way.
His yoke is easy. He is the one who bears our burdens. The Lord values you, not just what you do or what you can produce. He wants you to enjoy the life He has created for you. Ask Him how He wants rest to be expressed in your daily life. He wants you to hear His voice, know Him intimately and serve Him from a place of rest.
By Pastor Clarice Green