Rest In Him

By Janis Rodgers

Rest. This is one of the hardest things in the world for me to do. I can sleep like a champion, but rest is different than sleep. Rest, defined as “cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength” and “be placed or supported so as to stay in a specified position,” sounds largely like the physical type of rest, but what does it mean to us, as Christians?

One Sunday, my Pastor preached on this subject and took his scripture from Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Now, many people most likely think that this is the physical rest that He is talking about, but if you read further you can see that this was a joining of us with God in order that He may take on some of our stress and trouble. The next verse, Matthew11:29 says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

 What Is a Yoke?

To understand this verse completely, you need to understand how a yoke works. A yoke is a device that joins two or more animals together to work for one purpose. As you can see in the above image, if two animals are yoked together, they have to move together. One animal cannot go one way and one animal another. God wants us to be yoked with Him. Not so He can boss us around (He is gentle and lowly at heart), but so He can guide us and help us to learn. In this way, we can rest in Him and His ability to guide us through any situation. Rest in Him. Lean into Him. Depend upon Him.

 Souls Rest vs. Physical Rest

Soul rest is different than physical rest, although they may go hand in hand at times. If you really look at people you encounter, it is easy to see that most people do not know how to really rest. We are constantly being bombarded with information, whether it is needed or not. From advertisements to social media to work to family/friends, we are never completely “off.” Most of us are more connected to our phones than we are with our children or spouse. Just look around the next time you go out to eat and you will see many more people on their phones than sitting and talking, enjoying time together. It makes me sad, but it has also allowed me to see my own failings in the same area.

 God Rested

Even God rested. On the 7th day of creation, the Bible says He stopped to rest. Was He tired? Of course not! He is not restrained by such things as physical tiredness as we are. He rested for this one simple reason – to fully enjoy what He had created. I have to think He just sat back and took time to look around at the clouds, the sky, the animals, and the greenery, while He enjoyed the sounds that only a beautiful day on Earth can offer. Can you imagine? Most of us cannot even imagine it, even though our hearts crave this type of experience.

 Rest Defined

To go back to our definitions, “cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.” When is the last time you truly took the time to rest? It is a choice. Resting is a choice that may take some practice for some of us. Rest is not curling up on the couch with a good book or movie, it is time set apart and sanctified to hear from God. Phone off, computer silenced and focused on Him. It is not easy – in fact, I will say that it is something that must be cultivated and practiced to become proficient at it. I have a hard time just sitting and thinking, but it is what is needed to not only recharge our minds but also up-charge our time with God.

 I think the 2nd definition is very illuminating as well. “Be placed or supported so as to stay in a specified position.” We want to stay in Him, right? We want to be strong in Him. Unmovable. Rest may be the key. If we can learn how to rest, we will not only relax, refresh, and recover our strength, but He through this time with Him will also support us to allow us to stay in a specified place or position. I want to be grounded in Him and have always thought that meant I had to be active, but maybe all I need to do is rest – in Him and in His ability to do all things.

 Bringing It Back to Us

What does this look like in a normal Christian’s life? Time set apart for your relationship with God. No phones, computers, tablets, books, or other noise of life. Just time spent in silence communing with Him. A relationship is a two-sided thing. To have a “relationship” with God means not only that you are talking to Him, but hearing from Him as well. Rest in Him and He will give you peace and joy like you have never imagined.

 It is time to take back control of our time. We allow ourselves to be strangely controlled by a device that is just a few inches in diameter. We allow our thoughts, desires, and feelings to be controlled by what we read on social media or in emails. Most of us don’t get out of bed without looking at our phones. What would happen if we really rested in Him, instead of resting in the noise of the world? I think our lives would completely change because we would finally realize that “rest” is depending upon Him for our value and our belonging. That is what I want. To rest in Him, as my source, as my King, as my hope. Without Him, I am nothing.