One of the repeated messages I have been receiving from the Lord over the past few months is “rest”. While I'm certain this message has a personal application for me, I think it is a message the Lord wants to convey to the larger Church.
What does it mean to “rest in the Lord?”
Resting in the Lord is reaching that place where we stop striving to serve the Lord in our own strength and efforts and allow him to work through us. I believe one of the keys to this is being constantly aware of the presence of the Lord. As we focus our attention on the presence of the Lord in all we do we become more aware of his desires and his workings in our life and all around us.
I have always been the kind of person who “gets things done”. What the Lord has been showing me is that my pushing and striving actually hinders his work in me and through me. I've come to realize that if I want his results I need to loosen my grip and let him guide my hands on the steering wheel. The result of resting in the Lord and allowing him to work through us is that we achieve his results and not our own. God's results are always much greater than anything we can accomplish.
Learning to rest in the Lord is not without its challenges. We still have this tendency to fall back on that which we know; our own efforts. I have discovered however that when I allow him to work he often takes care of an issue and I need not even intervene.
I need to loosen my grip and let him guide my hands on the steering wheel.
In 2005 Carrie Underwood released a song called “Jesus, take the Wheel”. The crux of the song is that when things get tough it's time to let Jesus drive. This is true, but more than that, resting in the Lord means that we let him drive all the time. We rest by allowing him, the Holy Spirit within us do the work. In Zechariah 4:6 the Lord says, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zech 4:6).
Resting in the Lord means that we do nothing until he gives us the go ahead. It means that we are moved only by the leading of the Holy Spirit; not by a perceived need. We do everything by Christ working through us.
Resting in the Lord is not passive. While we “rest” we are actively seeking him; listening; watching; waiting for the exact moment we are to move. And sometimes the Lord's desire is for us to do nothing. Hebrews 4:9-11b says, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest." Hebrews 4:9-11b.
Resting in the Lord means anticipating and looking for God moments in your day. Instead of wasting time worrying and planning each step, we allow Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct our steps. It is an act of faith and trust.
Resting in the Lord means trusting God’s promises. It means standing on the truth of his Word. It means not leaning on our own understanding but renewing our hearts, souls and minds each day. It means that we accept that God’s supernatural ways are not our ways.
Let's choose as a parish and as individuals to rest in the Lord. Let's watch, wait, rest, take our hands off the wheel and let God drive our lives. Let's move only where and when and if he directs us.
Shalom!
Pastor Jim+ §