Rest: What God intended

                                                

As a person that mows grass, rain is, at times, a welcome rest from walking behind a mower. At those times I am guilty of sitting and planning out what I will do when the rain ends, and then the dread sets in at thinking about getting to all of them. For those with a "9-5" job, the weekends may be for you as they are for me, thinking about what you need to do on Monday, planning out your work week, dreading going back to work knowing how much was undone when you left on Friday.

Our rest, on a rainy day or the weekend, should not be like that. Our rest should be a time to relax, and enjoy the surroundings that God has created for us to enjoy. Rest also needs to be a time to reflect on what God has done for us and will do for us. Rest is a time to commune with Him, thanking Him for all that he has allowed us to do this past week with family, friends and co-workers.

For many, though, there is no rest. There is constant turmoil inside their hearts. Worry, dread, fear, anxiety. No matter what happens there is just no rest. Even at night, when they lay their heads on the pillow, thoughts continue to haunt them. Fear of the morning almost leaves them in a cold sweat. They toss and turn unable to fully feel rest. Past sins gnaw at them, eating at them. Then there is Satan, continually whispering in their ears about how they have failed again, how they have fallen short of what they truly know God wants from them. They feel unworthy to come into God's throne room and talk with Him, so as to gain the peace and "rest" that they so desperately want and need.

They see God as a judge, ready to condemn them for their failures. This is a lie that Satan has told them, and tells us believers as well. For non-believers, or those who do not truly follow Christ, this lie is so real, they close their ears, hearts and minds to ask for forgiveness. They see it as hopeless, "Because God can never love me for what I have done." By thinking that, by believing that, they find no rest. Their spirits are in a constant state of turmoil. Again, the lies of Satan has brought them to this point.

But the truth of the matter is that God does care about them and for them. God created ALL of us, and He loves what He has created. Yes, loves what He has created. You and I are part of what we see everyday, His creation. He did create all the plants and animals and trees and mountains. But, He also created humans. He gave us a purpose, to care for His world. So, in that respect we must care for other people as well. I have been called to give encouragement to those who need it, through this blog. I want others to know the God I know. I want others to know the Jesus I know, the One that died on the cross, so to give me REST!! Rest from my past sins, rest from my present sins, and rest from my future sins. See, each one of us communicates with others on a daily basis. We do it without thinking, it is part of our lives. So, if we communicate with others, why not with our Father? I have a sordid past, living a life the way I wanted to live it, paying no attention to anyone else or their feelings. But God brought circumstances into my life to make me see just how much He truly loves me, and wanted me to pursue the calling that He had for me. Now going to prison may not seem like a good thing, but that is what it took to give me "rest."

The rest I took those 7 years led me to see God's love for me. And I began to see just how much He loves all He has created. I knew that so many others out there and not found rest, and He wanted me to do something about it. No matter your past, present or future, the fact is that Christ died for you. You can't take that back. You can't rewind to that time in history and undo what He did. You are worthy to come into His throne room, which is filled with His mercy and grace and forgiveness. Just as Christ died for me, He also died for you, again, something that you can't undo. Now knowing that He died for you, and that you can't undo what He did, accept it!! See, Christ died as a gift, to us. He took our place on the cross. This salvation, then, is a gift, a present for us to take. Just as we receive gifts for our Birthdays, Anniversaries and at Christmas, God is giving us a gift. The gift of "rest," if you will, from our pains and sorrows of this life and the fear of "where will I go when I die?" By accepting His free gift of salvation, we no longer need to fear that question, because we will know that we will be with Him in heaven.

By accepting Him as our personal Savior, He bring to us the Holy Spirit, to live in our hearts, giving us the "rest" we need. Having Him as our Lord, we "rest" assured that He walks with us throughout our day. That He leads us beside the still waters of rest, restoring our hearts and spirits. His word gives us direction and guidance, keeping us on the path that He has set before us. By accepting Christ He takes our burdens and begins to carry them, freeing us from the trappings of this world. Accepting Jesus, allows us to "rest" in His arms.

How many of us have lost a loved one? I personally have lost a Niece and a Nephew at a young age. How could I say to someone “It is well?”

 How many have had a diagnosis of cancer or some other debilitating disease? How could they say, “It is well?”

How often have trials come into our lives and we sit and look at those trials, and then begin to live our lives directed by them? We begin to look at what is going on and begin to be overwhelmed by them? We start to worry and fret and conjure up negative thoughts and ideas. How could anyone ever tell us, in those times, “It is well?”

Satan deceives, at times, even the believers into looking at their situations and getting disheartened, downtrodden, so that the storms in their lives, and ours, begin to toss all of us to and fro, bashing us into the “rocks” of self-doubt, pity and of thinking that this will never end. The roar of our troubles drowns out the voice of the peace we strive for……… the voice of God!

But let’s not look at just the words, “It is well.” Let’s look at the next line, “With my soul.” Our souls are what Christ died for. Our souls are where the Holy Spirit resides. Our souls are the place where the Holy Spirit has placed the peace we need to continue to live the life Christ has directed us to live during our trials, storms, hardships, and defeats in life. Now could we say that the Holy Spirit lives in everyone? I think He does, in John 1:29 it says; “The next day John saw Jesus conning toward him and said,’ Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”, so, I believe that every person has the Holy Spirit in them, but it those who believe, who live a life centered in Christ, that have the power to hear His voice. So, let’s be honest, we as believers may not hear His voice at first. We may need the help from other believers who come along side us, or it may be that certain verse that we have read or remember, that enables us to eventually hear His voice, and that is when the storms begin to subside, our troubles start to fade. It is then we gather the strength and begin to sweep aside the doubt, fear and pain. We start to feel victory, and our strength is renewed to begin to denounce the power Satan has over us. The cross took all those feelings of doubt, fear and shame, that is associated with them, away.

As we hear His soft loving voice, the Light of His Glory begins to dawn again in our hearts. We are re-assured that He walks with us, and matter-of-fact has been walking with us all along. In that dawning, our faith begins to grow and bloom in the warmth of His mercy and grace for us, we experience a rejuvenation, possible not only because of our love for Him, but of His undying love for us. It is His power that has held our hands and led us out of whatever has been going on in our lives up to this point. His Holy Spirit, in our hearts, is what has called out to us to listen to the Father, to meditate on His word. It is His Holy Spirit that has put us into the arms of Jesus to be carried through the storms and exit the other side. Christ is the one that has, and will, mend us and restore us, because of what He did for ALL on the cross. There still may be storm clouds that loom ahead of us, some trials may still be fresh in our minds and we will continue to face troubled times ahead, but it is through His power, attained through His death on the cross, that heals us enough to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul.”