A Pause to Ponder God's Word
"Receiving Rest"
Rest is a scarce commodity in our society. In a break-necked paced, busy equals importance, make every moment count, burn-the-candle at both ends lifestyle, productivity means success, world we live in there isn’t time for rest. We are not taught to rest. Rest is often avoided. We wear tired as a merit badge. We speak about rest but rarely have any of us really experienced rest. Personal testimonials reveal that for many what sleep they get is not restful. And for others, though they sleep well they sense that there is more to rest than they have experienced. Burnout is epidemic in our society.

Rest is crucial to us. We are desperate for it. The need for rest is built into us. This is why God gave us Sabbath. Jesus tells us that “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)  It was made for us because we need it so desperately. The consequences due to our neglect of this gift need no elaboration.

Rest, Sabbath, is more than a day off, more than a good night’s sleep, more than doing nothing for a period a time. Rest cannot be experienced a part from God. Rest is listening, communing, playing, relaxing, trusting, focusing, worshipping. It is a refusal to succumb to the world’s way of living and relying on God! It should be as natural as breathing in life sustaining oxygen air and exhaling harmful carbon dioxide.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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 you souls. (Matthew 11:28-30). Though we most often hear this call with an evangelical twist, calling those burdened down with sin to come to Jesus, it is much broader. Read it again. Listen carefully. It is a call to any and all who are “weary and burdened.” It is a call to those who need rest. It is a call to those who need to throw off the world’s labor intensive burdening yokes.

Rest is found in coming to Jesus and receiving. Notice, “I will give you rest.” To find the type of rest that goes to the depths of our soul, we need to come to Jesus, learn from Him and receive His rest. Sabbath is included here, but it is more than Sabbath. It involves time but it is beyond time. To place it in the time-clock mode is to miss the point. Sabbath involves a whole day (for the Hebrews it is sundown to sunup), but rest is no limited to Sabbath.

Coming to Jesus is a deliberate and decisive act. It requires stopping; stopping all the busyness and frantic productivity. We stop and attune ourselves to Him, His voice, His teaching, and His person. We assume a student posture before Him, transparent, expecting, and ready. Though we come weary and burdened we lay it all at His feet taking on His yoke. We open ourselves to receive His rest by rekindling our trust in Him and renewing our commitment to cease living by the world’s model. We learn from Him and breathe in life, renewal, rest… We are like Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet while Martha feverishly prepares the banquet choosing what is better (Luke 10:42) and focusing once again on the essential thing.

Beloved, we do so struggle with this. Our hearts yearn for it. Our lives require it. Therefore, let us help each other to receive and enter into rest; God’s rest. Let’s learn and practice Sabbath once again. Hear Jesus; “Come to me you burdened weary ones and I will give you rest.”

Keep Close to Jesus
Pastor Gerry


A Pause To Ponder God's Word is written and distributed by Gerald Whetstone, Ordained Elder and teacher in the Church of the Nazarene. These devotionals may be transmitted, duplicated, used in part or in entirety without permission for nonprofit purposes only. Responses welcome. To Subscribe Click Here.
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