Rest

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We live in a very busy world. With advancements in technology, one would have thought that there would be more time for us to rest, given that many things can now be automated or done faster and easier. However, it’s the other way around.

Working from home could have made it easier for families to have more time together. However, with unlimited virtual meetings, families seem to be drifting further apart, ironically by the very invention that was supposed to do the exact opposite.

How many times have you returned from leave only to be met with a mountainous pile of work that makes you think you need another vacation to survive the consequences of the finished one? Maybe we need to reconsider the act of rest!

Fundamentally, it is not in human nature to rest completely. We’ve been taught that resting takes control away from us, the very thing we feel we can’t live without. Our lack of rest regarding physical jobs is an expression of a bigger problem: our inability to yield control not just to others, but also to God.

David, in his Psalms, advised us: “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalms 55:22 NIV). In reality, this is such a difficult thing to do. That is why, after bringing matters to God in prayer, we often find ourselves seeking another solution to the same matter, just in case God doesn’t come through. The uncertainty of how God will answer our prayers frightens us so much that we begin to look for a “plan B.” Though we think we are helping God, we are actually making it difficult. Instead, God wants us to trust him completely; this is faith.

As you step out today, make a decision to trust God with the matters you have placed before Him. Don’t rely on your own understanding, but wait for Him and rest!

PRAYER