And then there are those about us, the people in our lives that simply drive us crazy with their idiosyncrasies, their pettiness and their boasting. They exist in every area of our lives: family, work, neighbors and even at church.
People deal with these difficulties in a variety of ways: by turning a blind-eye and ignoring the problem; lashing out with outrage; protest marches; pulling out ones hair (if you still have any).
But here is something for believers to resolve in the New Year: to become proactive and not reactionary to life’s nuisances. James, in his epistle, tells us that these are tests to strengthen the durable quality of our faith:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (James 1:2-3)
I know what you may be thinking, that this is easier said than done. But by examining God’s viewpoint we can learn how to overcome life’s turmoil and achieve tranquility and rest.
History of Rest in Scripture
The meaning of God’s rest has historical implications. In the Genesis account of creation, God worked six days (Genesis 1:3-31) and then rested on the seventh day when the heavens and earth were completed:
By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Genesis 2:2–3)
God’s resting does not imply that He was physically or mentally tired—it meant that He had completed His work of creation and was now “taking a break”.
There is also the rest God promised to His people, the nation of Israel—a “promised land.” God directed Moses to lead the Jews out from their Egyptian enslavement:
“So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.” (Exodus 3:8)
It was much more than a place where they ceased from enslaved work, but a land that would provide them with a “resting place” (Deuteronomy 12:9) and an intimate relationship with their God as My people.
“Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 6:7; cf. Jeremiah 30:22; Ezekiel 36:28)
Rest for the Believer Today
Since God provided a place for His people, Israel, to rest from their burdens and enjoy the rich inheritance of His blessings, God has provided rest and comfort today for all who have believed in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Two things should be considered. First, the offer Jesus made:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)
No matter what century a person lives in, they are confronted with various trials and conflicts—social, political and personal. But what God offers is a remedy for spiritual unrest which disrupts a person’s life at every level. This rest He provides freely is eternal life, a life that can be enjoyed now and beyond into the afterlife. He did all the work on our behalf when His son, Jesus Christ, “bore our sins in His own body on the cross” (1 Peter 2:24).
Belief in Jesus Christ as Savior is the integral step in understanding the core issue of unrest in one’s life. Once a person comprehends the true significance of their existence—to attain peace and harmony with their Creator—then they will be able to serve Him and enjoy life now and for all eternity.
Jesus confirms God’s offer of eternal life:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Secondly, the wise instruction of Solomon from Proverbs:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
We must realize that our own understanding is human viewpoint. Relying on our impulses or our ‘best laid plans’ is nothing more than rejecting God’s perfect solution for the problems we face. The Apostle Paul tells us to be careful how we live, “not as unwise men but at wise” (Ephesians 5:15), and concludes with this caution:
So then do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:17)
Knowing the will of the Lord is vital to achieving a relaxed
mental attitude in the midst of troubling circumstances. His will is that we
trust in Him exclusively. To do this we need Divine viewpoint, His Word to
guide us. Jesus had us in mind when He prayed to His Father: “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is
truth” (John 17:17). He wanted God the Father to set us apart (sanctify)
from the thought process of human viewpoint thinking and direct us to Divine viewpoint thinking. This requires the renewing of our mind with His truth (Romans 12:2) in order to procure His perfect peace.
Conclusion
All people crave rest from the exhaustion of work and the weariness of life. But true rest begins with belief in Jesus Christ as Savior to secure His offer of eternal spiritual rest. Note the Apostle John's warning of the consequence of failure to believe in Christ:
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:36)
This should evoke a profound understanding of the eternal significance of our existence—we are creatures of the Creator intended to “serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14; cf. Ephesians 2:10).
And for us who have believed, by learning God’s truth and applying it in our moment-by-moment experiences of life, we will be relying upon divine viewpoint reasoning and thinking; learning to rest in His promises and find the peace and rest we truly need. Again, the writer of Hebrews maintains that there is a stipulation:
Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. (Hebrews 4:1–2)
For believers to benefit (profit) from the promises of His Word they must mix (unite) His promises with faith; having a firm belief that what He says, He will perform. For Scripture declares this very truth:
God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)
© 2024 David M. Rossi
I think one of the most difficult things I've dealt with in my relationship with God is trusting Him exclusively. Sometimes, though not as much anymore, that has to do with worrying that what He thinks is best for me is going to be continual punishment. More often though, I struggle with the idea of allowing someone else, even God, help me with my struggles. Casting my cares upon Him is so against the human idea of being self-sufficient and independent. It can feel like I'm taking the easy way out and not doing the hard work. But then I am reminded that the hard work was already accomplished in the life and death of Christ. The war is won so I need to stop fighting! And when that sinks in, oh the rest that I receive!
ReplyDeleteI love this post. Thank you for the reminder and perspective.