Getting Real Rest

God recently began to speak to me on the importance of Sabbath Rest and how it is found in His completion. His Word says God completed creation in six days, and rested on the seventh. We understand this sort of rest- things were done, and then rest happened. We do this daily; We go to work and complete our tasks and then we get to rest. But, Sabbath Rest is found in God’s completed works, not ours. We burden ourselves striving to do things on our own, outside of God’s plan, so that we can get to rest, as if it’s something we can earn if we do enough. But true rest has been God-invented from the very beginning, and it’s only found in Him- in His completed, pre-authored plan and purpose for our lives. 

Striving keeps us from Godly rest. But I want to clarify that striving and busyness aren’t exactly the same thing. There’s lots of rest talk on “slowing down” and “taking it easy” that most of the world needs, but since spiritual rest is found in God, we simply need go where He goes to experience that rest. There will be seasons where God is calling us to do much for His kingdom. There may be seasons where God is calling us to a slower pace. The point is, rest isn’t found in a less busy season;  It’s found in our willingness to let go of our plans in order to partake in His plan for our lives. So yes, God’s rest is for busy people, too, as long as that busyness is God’s Will for us. There is a big difference between filling up our calendars with things that give us a false sense of purpose and letting God fill out our calendars. When we let God dictate our lives, we get to walk out a plan that’s already finished. His completion is what makes it rest.

Some of my favorite scripture on rest comes from Matthew. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “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 your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I love these verses. A yoke is something tied to two animals in order for them to accomplish some sort of work for their owner. It’s usually seen as oppressive. But God says here that His yoke is actually rest for the weary. God’s work is easier than worldly freedom. His plan is lighter than our free will. Let that sink in.
Now, remember how a yoke ties you to someone else? Guess who God’s yoke ties us to?? Jesus! That means we’ve got access to an abundance of resource and power to get His work done, because our yoke is Christ’s.

I know we’re talking about rest, but I must address fear. I think that fear and striving are two of the greatest opponents of Sabbath rest. Fear keeps us from living in God’s Will. A great lesson on rest and fear is found in Mark 4, when Jesus and his disciples are on a boat during a really intense storm that the disciples think they may die from. And Jesus is sleeping. (I can really relate to this side of Jesus.) They wake him up and He rebukes the storm and makes it disappear. I think it’s a really great picture of what God’s rest looks like- following our Lord doesn’t mean it’s never going to storm, but it does change our perception of it. It was still storming around Jesus, but He was operating in rest…quite literally in this case. Seriously, Jesus napping through the storm is ‘goals’ for the level of walking in God’s Will I want to live in. Jesus didn’t even have to experience the storm he was in. Imagine living like that!
Unlike Jesus, the disciples had fear and worry and doubt. God’s rest isn’t found there. The yoke is heavy there. It’s hard there. Fear has NO place in us. I will frequently say out loud, “God has not given me a spirit of fear,” anytime it tries to rear its ugly head in the form of anxiety, fright, doubt, or shame. And it absolutely works. Try it- out loud. We must rebuke the storms of fear that try to rise up inside of us.

We have to take a stance against fear and against striving for ourselves if want to live in God’s rest. You know that thing we want to do that we know God doesn’t want us to do, but we do it anyway? God’s rest isn’t there. You know the way we worry more about what other people think about us than what God has already said about us? Nope, it’s not there either. When He calls us to something and we don’t answer because (enter excuse here)? God’s rest isn’t there. God’s rest is found in living in His Will, going forward with Him and without fear.