Psalms 42
We live life at 100 miles an hour. There is a constant inundation of information, activity, messages, and memes; our to-do and honey-do lists grow ever long until the call of our chosen hobbies beckons us to engage once again. Each of these activities takes time, energy, focus and passion. Where is the time to rest?
Genesis 2:1-3 reminds us that on the Seventh day God sanctified the day, ceased from work and rested. God in all His capacity to sovereignly call into existence all of creation knew that humanity could not live up to His ability and created a day of rest. Jesus clarifies the Sabbath in Mark 2:27-28 “Jesus said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” We have an understanding of the Sabbath being for humanity to rest from our labors and enter into God’s Sabbath rest.
Hebrews 4:9-11 discusses the rest of the Sabbath:
9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.
Yet this rest seems to discuss the eternal rest that God has for us in Heaven. He is leading us to an eternity with Him and a life of reliance upon Him. What rest do we have on this earth? Can we find rest in God from life and living?
YES! Matthew 11:28-30 declares to us:
28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
The rest we long for is found in Christ. He understands our burdens and cares, our work and recreation. What we long for is a rest for our souls, that is only found in Him and God’s sovereign plan. Our rest is reliant upon God as King and Lord, that He is in charge and working all things out. He calls us to rest in Him and His work, not casting aside our burden, but sharing our burdens with Him.
Our rest is found in the active dependence upon God to labor with us through all things. Nothing is too great for God’s sovereign plan to work through all our concerns. Do we have faith enough to find rest in God?
Psalms 42 put it aptly for us and hear it again anew:
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
Our soul longs for God and He is the one that satisfies all our needs.