There Is Therefore Rest For The People of God
There is something comforting about knowing that God has already made provision for our rest. Not that He will create it, not that it is far off, but that it is already available. It has been established for the people of God, write SEELE Faith Editor, KB Chakela…
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” — Hebrews 4:9 (KJV)
“Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest…” — Hebrews 4:11 (KJV)
Scripture tells us that we ought to labour to enter into that rest. At first glance, it feels contradictory. How do you labour… to rest? But when you begin to understand rest from a Biblical perspective, it starts to make sense.
The rest that God is speaking about is not the kind of rest we are used to. When we think of rest, we think of sleep, taking a break, switching off, or stepping away from work and hat kind of rest is important for our bodies and minds. When we are unwell or overwhelmed, one of the first things physicians tell us to do is rest, because rest helps replenish the body.
But the rest spoken of in Hebrews goes deeper than the physical. You can sleep through the night and still wake up heavy, tired or anxious. Why? Because your spirit has not entered rest. Biblical rest is a posture, it is the place where your soul comes into agreement with what God has said without resistance. It is the quiet assurance that says, “God has spoken, and that is enough.”
Rest is trusting God beyond what you see.
Rest is choosing peace when everything around you feels uncertain.
Rest is releasing the need to strive, to control, to figure everything out.
And that is where the labouring comes in.
If we are honest, resting like this does not come naturally to us. Life is always pulling us in many different directions, there is always something that needs your attention, whether it is work, family, responsibilities, ministry, people, etc. Life be life'ing. So, when the Bible says we must labour to enter into rest, it is not speaking of physical rest, it is speaking of spiritual rest, the rest of God.
But how do we labour to enter into that rest that is made available for us? That labour of choosing to believe God, the labour of going back to the Word, again and again, until it settles in your spirit. We labour by reading the Word, by meditating on it, by letting it dwell in us richly. And then we rest in it.
Rest, similar to waiting on the Lord is not passive, it is not avoidance, or indifference. It is the quiet confidence, assurance or a peace rooted in truth. It is saying, “God, I trust You, I will not strive where You have already spoken” and believe me there is something powerful that happens in that place. Not in the striving, not in the constant movement, but in the stillness of trust.
There is therefore rest for you. And today, return to what God has said, be intentional about entering the rest of God Hold onto His word, let it settle your heart and spirit and then… rest.
TRENDING
