The Rest of God
Scripture:
1: Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.
2: For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.
Hebrews 4 (NIV)
12: This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep His commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
13: Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
Revelation 14 (NIV)
In the scripture from Hebrews, the word ‘therefore’ makes it obvious that this continues from the preceding. In Hebrews 3, the writer was clear that it was unbelief which kept the generation that escaped Egypt from entering Canaan. Today, all these years later, the promise remains of entering His rest, and we can enter into that rest by faith. Unbelief will make us fall short of the rest God has for us.[1]
This rest is not a time of putting your feet up and relaxing. It is not a power nap. It is not even a good night’s sleep. The rest of God involves all of you – mind, body, and spirit. It is being at peace with yourself and with God. It is having the assurance of knowing that it is well with your soul. This is a rest that is spiritual, yet patterned after the rest provided for Israel through Joshua. This rest is in the person of Jesus Christ. According to the old Puritan commentator John Owen, there are five features of this rest for the believer[2]:
Rest means peace with God.
Rest means freedom from a servile, bondage-like spirit in the worship and service of God.
Rest means deliverance from the burden of Mosaic observance.
Rest means the freedom of worship according to the gospel.
Rest means the rest that God Himself enjoys.
And for those of you who have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, rest means spending time in His presence, free from the burdens of this life. It should give you great joy to work now “while it is day, because the night is coming, when no man can work”. About ten years ago, Donald Lawrence and The Tri City Singers recorded the song “There Remaineth a Rest”. The song is about God’s promised rest to His people. It is a song of hope because far too many Christians do everything except rest in the promises and authority they have been given by virtue of their relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. They do not rest because they are worried and busy and doubt-filled and harried and anxious and troubled and distraught and stressed and tired. Yet, God promises they can “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
“There remaineth a rest, a rest for the people of God. A promise, a finished work, and we must guard it with our hearts. Everything you will ever need was provided at Calvary. There remaineth a rest, there is a rest, a rest, a finished work of the Lord.” If you meditate on the lyrics of this song, lined up against the Word of God, you should have a confident assurance that there is a day coming when you will be able to fully rest in the Lord. As He died on the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!” For the believer, that day is now.
Many Christians still look to God for their eternal rewards and fail to recognize the promises He has given them for their time here on the earth. Yes, eternal rest is your ultimate promise. But the rest of God will provide healing to your soul here and now. Are you resting in Him?
Prayer:
Father, thank You for the promise of Your rest – rest for our bodies, rest for our souls, rest in our spirits. You modeled this for us; give us the wisdom to come aside and rest awhile in You. There is much work for us to do, and Your rest will revive, recharge, and restore us with the resources we need to get it done. Thank You for the promise of Your rest. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Reflection:
Meditate on the promises of rest in the Word of God. Then write in your journal those things in your life from which you need to rest. Be intentional each day about submitting those things to God and seeking His guidance until you feel rested in those areas. Then thank God for your victory.
“God didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?”
(Author Unknown)