The LORD is my Shepherd

The LORD is my Shepherd

 “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then 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)

Does God tire? If not, why rest? I believe the common explanation is that God was already providing for us an example. There is also something to the fact that God, even at this point, was already setting things apart, making distinctions within His creation toward what is holy. I’m fond of pointing out that at this juncture, all Creation had been made and man just turned loose within it. We know that God is omniscient, all-knowing, and that He knew all of the depravity, violence, murder, pestilence, suffering, and general madness that would ensue, and He rested! This is not due to indifference to our suffering, nor was it necessary to “gear up” for all the work to come. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9) We must keep in mind that God can see much, much, much, much farther down the road than we can. While we toil away in wormy dirt, God can see clear down the road to eternity, and there is beauty there waiting for us. Resting is entirely appropriate. And if He can rest, in the literal face of Armageddon, then what are we bothering with that’s so important to keep us from His peace?

Seriously though, what are we bothering with that keeps us so restless? Our study warned us against the dangers of “self-salvation”, the untenable notion that we are somehow capable of working ourselves toward Heaven. We are in no capacity able to do this, not even a little. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) We can take a rest from attempting to control our lives or surroundings, we’ll never be able to gain it anyway. This is not a statement of despair, resignation, or defeat, but recognition of a critical truth. God is the one who sits on the throne, be grateful for that! He has proven His faithfulness, His love, and His goodness throughout the history of man, can you stick with one mood through even one day? We allow circumstance to buffet us around the sea of our lives relentlessly, why not fixate on the one constant Scripture assures us? To build one’s house on the Rock allows one to rest when the winds and storms come! Those whose foundation sits on the shifting sands are the ones left bereft of hope when the walls come tumbling down.

The first way to gain this rest is to remember God’s grace. To continually remind yourself of not only its ever-present nature, but also its enduring source, God’s love. God’s grace is not dependent on our decent behavior, nor can it be extinguished due to our short-sighted, stupid, sinful behavior. God’s grace existed for us before we were even here, how foolish is it to believe that it can be predicated on our actions at all! “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” (Ephesians 1:4) In addition to recollecting His munificent grace, we must also experience a weekly Sabbath. One would be right to note that God Himself gave us this example with His rest on the 7th day, but for all the talk of “moral gray areas” God is usually very very clear. He literally made this a Commandment. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” (Exodus 20:8) After reminding the Israelites who He is and what He had done for them, He instructed them to have no other gods, to not make any graven idols to stand in His place, to not use His name in vain, and then to keep the Sabbath day holy. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Jesus brought to our attention that where we spend our resources indicates what we truly care about. Do you know what your most precious resource is? Not your 401K, home equity, stored gold, or beanie baby collection. It’s time. Do you believe that a tithe of 10% like clockwork and even some additional giving is what God wants of you? God does not want to transact with you, He wants a relationship with you! The words of the prophet Isaiah to the fallen people of Israel, “‘The multitude of your sacrifices–what are they to me?’ says the Lord. ‘I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.’” (Isaiah 1:11) David elaborates and clarifies, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart. O God, you will not despise.” (Psalms 51:16-17) This is not a license to ignore tithing, but pointing out the foolishness of tithing our income but refusing to yield our time.

In addition to remembering God’s grace and setting aside a Sabbath, we are advised to surround ourselves with “real” ones. This is a calling for Christian fellowship. To enmesh yourself with a Bible based community of believers that can share your burdens, encourage you, and help dust yourself off when you fall. We will all experience struggles and troubles, it’s still a fallen world after all. One way to find rest within it is to relax in the presence of true friends and like-minded people who can be a support, a soundboard, or a solace in such an unforgiving world. The last piece of advice we were given was to tell yourself the truth. This involves cutting through the ubiquity of distraction that permeates the world we live in. Just opening your eyes in the morning can welcome an onslaught of noise that the modern world offers. We need to adjust our eyes and ears to allow the truth to cut through and drown out the din of voices screaming for our attention in any given moment. An excellent way to do this is to make reading Scripture and praying a priority through the day. Continuing to touch base with the source of truth will help us cleave ever tighter to it when needed.

In our discussion, many of us offered up examples of activities or routines we seek out to find rest in our weary world. Fishing was used as an example twice if memory serves. But there was an aspect to this part of our discussion that seemed to be neglected. Rest is not so much form as function. Rest doesn’t come from what, but from whom. If fishing is what you do to unwind, then fantastic, but if your mind isn’t fixed right, then no joy can come from it. It doesn’t matter if the water is placid and calm if there is a storm brewing in your heart. If your mind is fixated elsewhere, then not even escapism will allow you to escape. So maybe that’s not what we are meant to do. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) Rest is not idleness. Restfulness does not equate to “checking out.” Every one of our Holy Habits is an intentional act. We can only find fulfilling rest through the peace of Jesus Christ. It is not an act or activity we partake in. Relinquish that which is bringing you stress. Take captive that thought and bring it to the One who may release you of that burden and find a rest and peace that can only come from above. You’ll find that rest is one of the most blessed byproducts of faith.

As a counterpoint, look at the world’s offerings. Without faith, rest is merely seen as sleep. To hear many of the “bold” (veeery thin line between bravery and stupidity) people speak in the world today is to hear them proclaim, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” The notion that we and we alone can conquer the mendacious maladies that plague our daily life permeates, particularly American, modern culture. In fact many share the view that true peace is only available at death, Rest In Peace is a wish we only confer upon the dead in our society. Apart from God we are only seekers of an unlikely rest and one we have to trade our lives to obtain. Absent from the world is the truth, that One has already traded His life for us to gain this peace. “The wicked flee when no man pursueth” (Proverbs 28:1) (Sounds so much cooler in the King James Version.) This verse explains much of the desperate struggle we see today. Our hearts convict us of our myriad sins, and in a mad scramble to avoid the guilt and consequences we are pushed even further from God. It is no use to flee from an omnipresent God. Instead, accept His loving mercy and embrace the peace only He offers.

God does not tire, He eternally is. We are merely fashioned in His image. If we run, we tire. Our bodies require sleep to function, it is not an option to toggle on and off at whim. It is encoded into our being. And it is there for a reason. God knew the powerful impulse we’d have to rush into the lead of our own lives. But fatigue forces us to wrestle with this question. Who watches over us as we sleep? Even the most obstinate, prideful, and vainglorious must close their eyes and submit to the body’s demand for sleep. And the Bible gives us two outcomes of such an act. “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat–for He grants sleep to those He loves.” (Psalms 127:2) We are not capable of our own salvation, we cannot control the world in which we live. It is vain to even attempt to do so. Or, “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalms 4:8) In whom will you rest? Will you vainly trust in your own abilities, or will you offload your aimless anxieties to the only One who can grant you peace? How will you sleep? Your habits can alter your destiny, point them toward God and bring yourself closer to Him. God rested on the seventh day, but keep in mind that was the first day that our work began. So go. Get some rest. The Harvest approaches and our work is not yet finished.

Jordan Williamson