Glorious Rest!
At the beginning of this year, I shared a testimony of how the Lord had used a period of rest to minister to me in several key areas. This morning He brought up the subject again in my spirit.
Rest is an act of trust. By resting, we show that we believe God is able to do more than we are! After all, resting is waiting on the Lord to act or speak instead of trying to “fix things” ourselves (how many of us have made a bigger mess of things in the process of “fixing it”?! I know I have, especially when trying to encourage someone verbally.)
Sometimes my son tries to do something that is too difficult for him to accomplish. Usually, if I don't think it will harm him, I let him try (that is how they (and we) grow). But when he's obviously failing at the task, I will ask, “Would you like some help?”.
The Lord is like that with us. He appreciates our hearts to try to “fix things” and wants us to learn and grow as we do. But often only He has the skill and insight to handle the situation properly.
Perhaps that is why the Word admonishes us to “strive diligently to enter” God's rest (Hebrews 4:11 AMP). This apparent contradiction (how can striving lead to rest!?) is really the key to seeing the Lord move in our personal and communal lives. Only when we allow Him to come into a situation and apply his boundless resources to it will we see the results we hope and long for.
