Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Just Rest

Just Rest

 After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to Mt. Sinai, God gave his people a set of commandments to live by. The fourth one began like this: “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God . . . “  Having been slaves for so long, they must have rejoiced that they were commanded to take a day off from their physical labor.

Today’s world never sleeps, let alone rest. With a global marketplace and connectivity made possible by electronic communication, someone somewhere is always working. It’s too easy to stay constantly connected. Even on days off, there are emails, Facebook and Twitter feeds to check, people to text and work to do. Smart phones are almost too smart for our good!

I’m not actually picking on the connectivity the Internet, laptops, pads and smart phones have made possible. Used with boundaries, they are wonderful tools. But what I want to compare it to is my own constant thought patterns. It’s so easy for me to think about things I can’t change, worry about the future, about loved ones, etc. Sometimes there is a panic going on in my brain worthy of comparison to global connectivity!

Instead, I need to be giving that panic, the things I am worrying about and can’t fix to the One who is in control. The Lord Jesus Christ said to a weary Jewish people, under the oppression of the Romans, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29, NLT)

My focus needs to be on Him, sharing my thoughts and feelings, giving the Father my worries on a daily or moment by moment basis, leaving them with Him and having the rest and peace He meant for me to have. Of course Jesus’ offer goes beyond that. Have you come to Him to confess your sins, to let Him bear the burden only intended for Him? Jesus’ finished work of His death for our sins and His resurrection is the only hope for our forgiveness, for true peace with God. But it’s a burden Jesus gladly took out of love for us when we didn’t deserve it. 

On top of that, if we are His, He wants us not to have a frantic mess of worries to carry, but the confidence to know He is caring for us and our loved ones. He knows what the future holds and will give us the grace to handle it one day at a time.

It’s time to hit send on those texts and emails of prayer we lift to the Lord and let Him carry them all for us, while we wait to hear back through His word.

Father, help us to give our worries to You each day, to be thankful for each moment of grace and take on the peace You give each day. Thank you for love us so much. In Jesus’ name we ask this. Amen.