To some extent, when people think of rest they imagine weekends, beach vacations, golf courses, retirement and in many cases sleep. However, the vocabulary for work for many apart from the ‘workaholics’ is limited to the modern industrialised nine-to-five paid labour. Hence, we might look at what the scriptures says about rest and miss the import of what the bible means because to many rest comes after work briefly and then work resumes. Rinse and repeat.
Even when you contrast rest with worry, you will observe that in many people’s lives, being at rest as we described above does not necessary means without worry. In fact you can wear out yourself lying down on the bed with worry. Worry, a story for another day.
A promise of entering God’s rest
But let’s look at what the bible says about rest: Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. Hebrews 4:1 So, there is a promise of entering into a rest of God and the bible informs us that it is important for us to have this promise and we should aware of what we will miss if we miss to have this important promise working in our lives!
For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:
“So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ”
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:2-3. Looking at what God said above, it gives us an insight to what the bible called rest, It indicates that it is a position that we have to take by faith and that means that, when our stance is on the word of God, we are in His rest.
Bible faith and rest
You see, there is a relationship between bible faith and rest, that is why to enter into God’s rest, when we hear the word of God we have to believe it, we have to mix our faith with the word in order for the word to profit us. The word has been given to us by God to produce faith in us the bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17) but we will have to purposefully believe the word given to us to enter into the rest of God regarding what God has said.
God’s plan and process is for us to enter into a place of rest, which is a blissful acceptance of the truth of His word happening or coming to pass in our lives exactly as God has said it or as He has described it to us. For example the bible promise us that we were healed already by the stripes of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24.) We have to accept that as a truth that we were healed already irrespective of what we are feeling or the symptoms we are experiencing.
Now somebody said ”Pastor, I believed God’s word that I was healed but my head was telling me otherwise, the intensity of my symptoms was so great that I could not rest, I am finding it hard to believe”
I understand that. I believe God understand, but God does not accept that. And I have to go with God here. I do not accept that.
Labour to enter into God’s rest
Why? Because the word of God is true. Your experience has nothing to do with the truth of God’s word. What He said is true. Always. He is not going to change what He said.
That is why to enter into His rest we have to take the time to study and meditate on those great and precious promises given to us by The Lord in His word, on those things that The Lord has said until we know without an iota of doubt that it is ours and no one, no devil can convince us otherwise or take it from us. That is the work we have to do. When we enter into that rest, things begin to become exciting and interesting, we begin to see great things happening because we are at rest in God.
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrews 4:11 KJV
That is the work we have been called to do in His word, labour in it, spend time in it, mediate on it till you enter into that arena of rest. It’s a place you enter and stay.
We have His promise that we can enter into His rest.
So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labours, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. Hebrews 4:9-11 NLT
Did you see that. So spend your time to enter into the rest of God regarding His promises to you. You’ll be glad you did.
And, stay there.