REST

Rest is the cessation of motion or action of any kind, and applicable to any body or being; as rest from labor; rest from mental exertion; rest of body or mind. A body is at rest when it ceases to move; the mind is at rest, when it ceases to be disturbed or agitated.

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done" (Genesis 2:2-3).

God, the Creator of the universe and everything that exist, made time to rest. Rest is crucial to our wellbeing. Rest is very important in our spiritual walk with the Lord.

Spiritual rest is the rest of faith, the ability to remain connected to Christ from worry and stress. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

Rest is trust. Trusting that God will provide you peace even in the midst of life's pressures and through every storm in your life. To surrender your worries to God and learning to receive His spiritual rest. Trusting God will provide you help in your times of need. "My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you - the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore" (Psalm 121).

Our help comes from the Lord. King David cried out for God to hear him in the midst of his troubles: "Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe" (Psalm 61:1-3). To find the rest we need in times of trouble and distress, we need to go to Jesus, the Rock that is higher than anything we might face. Jesus is the true rest in times of our distress.

No matter what we may have to face, the Lord Himself has confirmed, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." And this is the assurance that we have and this is why we can cry out to God in our distress and find rest and peace. We can cry out to God to hear our cry and hear our prayer, because God is always there, and He will never leave us. We may leave Him, but He will never leave us, and He is always just a cry and a prayer away.

But nothing makes the heart more troubled or overwhelmed than tribulation. Jesus promised that there will be times of tribulation. Jesus told us how the hearts of humanity will fail us from fear and the expectation of those things that will come at the end of days. And yet He said,"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

There is rest for the weary

And there's strength for the weak,

That is what God offers

To those who humbly seek

For it's only in the seeking

That we will surely find

Rest for our weary bodies

And peace for our troubled minds

And it's there in the asking

That we will come to know

God in all His splendour

With His wisdom, we will grow

And it's only in the knocking

That the door will open wide

So we can walk into

What He graciously provides

So maybe for a while

We can rest along the road

And put on Jesus yoke,

For easy is His load.

(By M. S. Lowndes)

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).