To Rest

When God created the heavens and the earth and everything in the earth in six days, on the seventh day He rested from all His work (Genesis 2:2). Jesus told His followers in Matthew 11:28, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. There were two different words used for “rest” in these verses. The first is a Hebrew word meaning to stop. Therefore, we know that God didn’t rest on the seventh day because He was tired, but because He had finished His work. He stopped. The second word for rest is Greek meaning peace. When put these together, we get a beautiful picture that offers comfort and encouragement for our daily lives.

When God finished His work and stopped, what do you imagine He did? It seems to me He was taking time to simply enjoy all He had created. Jesus talks of resting in Him, receiving His peace. You see, when you and I take deliberate time each day to enjoy the preesence of God, stopping what we are doing to be with Him, we enjoy the reminders of all He has done in our lives, the blessings He has bestowed upon us. We enjoy worshipping and praising Him for all He is to us and for all He has done for us.

In doing the above, we then gladly and thankfully lift our heavy burdens to Him, gratefully receiving His inner peace. It’s a wonderful trade. We give both our praise and our burdens to Him; then like rain quenching the thirst of a dry earth, He fills us with a peace that soothes our weariness and kisses the wounded places of heart and mind. Resting in the Lord is most rewarding, for it makes glad the heart of God, and it restores our own joy in Him.

Let us take time today and every day to rest — the dividends are beyond this world.