Rest For Your Soul, Here and Beyond

I can’t underscore enough the importance of rest in our lives. Rest from labor as we sleep and recoup from our day’s work. We have rest from trials in our lives. Rest from pain when our bodies break down and rest from temptation. Rest from this life. There are so many reasons we need rest and God granted us rest from the first week of creation when He, Himself rested from all that He had created. Let’s look through His Word to find encouragement to rest in Him from all the cares of life.

REST FROM LABOR

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 is a great verse for all the moms out there that have been rocking a cranky baby all day and just want to sleep. Or those who have toiled in the fields or hospitals. How about those who sit at a desk and help keep computers running. There are so many different jobs out there and each one of them leaves us weary but we have rest in God. Come aside and rest in Him.

REST FROM TRIALS

There are so many verses in the Bible to encourage us as we face the trials of life. Life is tough but we can run to His Word and find rest in it. Psalm 37:7 says so much when it reminds us, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

REST FROM PAIN

Hurrying and scurrying in life won’t make us any healthier or help us heal any quicker. I know this because when I’m in pain and just sit then I get agitated so I move but then that doesn’t help me heal. My girls remind me of this all the time and tell me to rest. I do not like resting so this has become quite the challenge for me. But, I am learning when I rest then I heal. In our crazy world we need to rest, be still and just trust Him.  “Be still, and know that I am God:” (Psalm 46:10)

REST FROM TEMPTATION

The old tempter is a sly one. He even didn’t stop with us but tried to tempt Jesus to get discouraged, hunger for power and sin. If he went after our Savior can you even imagine what he’s trying to do with us? The devil is never happy when God’s people are serving Him, growing in His Word and sending prayers to heaven.

He is going to try everything in his power to stop that from happening so enter temptation. We all know what it is in our lives and we’ve all had it but how do we rest from it? We lean on the Lord and run to Him for rest from it. Psalm 91:1 offers the best place to rest from temptation. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Are you there?

REST FROM LIFE

Don’t you love the phrase, “at the end of the day”. My kids know that I dislike using clichés and phrases that are overused. Words mean something, right? So I’m always thinking about what a phrase or sentence or word means. When we talk about “at the end of the day” it usually means when a task is complete, etc. But what is at the end of our lives?

For those of us who have trusted in Christ’s saving faith there is an eternal rest like no other. It’s that promise we hold on to now that a better day is coming and the rest we will have at the end of our lives is better than any rest “at the end of the day”. Do you know Him and are you sure of His eternal rest? This verse is one I chose among many because it spoke to me as a child.

Remember the good old days of slideshows? My mom was studying to be a teacher at a Bible college in Wisconsin. She had to do a presentation using slides and all I remember is her quoting this verse as she wound up her presentation with a picture of her beloved mountains in Washington state where she grew up. “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”

David and the other psalmist gave us so many wonderful verses about rest but this one in Psalm 4:8 is one that takes me back to my childhood and always gives me a peaceful outlook on life.  I don’t have to fear when I know that an eternal rest is coming.

Have you been resting in Him and are you resting in your life from all that comes at you? I am not a “rester” but God showed me that when you say you’d rather rest, He will help you do so. Rest in Him for this journey and find rest in Him for your soul when you trust Him as your Lord and Savior.