Finding Rest in Our Busy Lives

Why is it so hard to find rest in today's world?

I'm not talking about getting a good night's sleep.  I'm talking about finding soul-restoring, God-ordained rest from our worries and concerns.  I find that almost everyone I know confesses to not being able to "turn off" the busyness of their life.

Is this the way we are supposed to live?  Is this just a fact of modern life?

I don't think so.  One of the greatest blessings of a faith relationship with Jesus is the ability to rest in His love and care.  This is a counter-cultural truth of our faith.

Unfortunately, such rest is not the mark of most of us believers.  We seem to struggle with all of the anxiety that marks the rest of our world.

Still, doesn't it sound good?  Rest.  Trust.  Faith.  Joy.  Let's take a moment to look at one major hindrance to finding rest for our weary souls.  

Perhaps the best place to start is Exodus 20: 8-11.

"For in six days you shall labor and do all your work, 

but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; ... 

for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 

the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; 

therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."  

As is found in several of the commandments, God gives the command and then gives the rationale for the commandment.  Here, God declares He made everything good and then rested.

What does this mean?  

Our God is the creator and sustainer of everything.  
We can trust that He will complete His holy work.

In other words, we believe in a miracle-working God who is all powerful.  We can trust in this awesome God.  He is empowering our labors.  We can and should follow His example of laboring six days and then resting on the seventh day.

Why is it so hard for pastors and all workaholics to believe this?  

Here is the root of our sin.  We truly believe that God could not do without us.  Thus, we have to labor continuously because without us, the Kingdom would fall, the business will fail, the projects will fail.

It never crosses our mind to pray, ask God for help, and then trust that our six days of labor is enough.  Why?  We are living as practical atheists.  We love the "control" we exert.

What does this mean?

A life of balance and rest is built into the created order.  

We need a rest weekly.  We rest not necessarily because we are "tired" but because we are sinners  who need to be reminded of the all-powerful God we serve.  We need to set aside our control issues and instead take time and space to pray for God's hand to work.

I encourage each of us to give this a try.  This week, take a full day to seek the living God and to repent of your fears, doubts, and control.  Repent of your hard-heartedness which denies that God can and will work without you.  Learn to enjoy Him and rest in His strength.

He will honor such faith with the gift of His presence

and the power of His Holy Spirit to bless your labors.