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Feb 27, 2020 14:00pm

Three Ways to Rest

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The alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. every morning.

Some days are harder to get up than others. The temptation to hit snooze rears its ugly head and I fight it off, remembering all I have ahead of me for the day.

I think about the hardest jobs in the world. Would a surgeon who worked late into the night to finish a 12-hour surgery and return to the hospital at four am for complications? Would it be a construction worker, lifting heavy blocks for hours a day in the hot sun? Or maybe it’s a daycare worker or a stay-at-home mom who homeschools four children.

No matter what your job is, we all have something in common: we are tired, and we need rest.

“So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.” (Genesis 2:1-3)

God, the Creator of the universe, took time to rest. He even says a day of rest should be sanctified. This means the “rest day” or what we know it as, the sabbath, is to be set apart for holiness.

So, when we relax on Sunday we aren’t just resting for our benefit; we are resting to obey God.

So, here are four things you can do as you get that much needed rest.

Recharge. It’s great to be busy sometimes and get a lot of work done. But our batteries run low and, like our electronics, we need to plug in to a power outlet.

Without a boost, it’s like starting a day without a cup of coffee. You can be sluggish, your brain might not think as fast as it could and it’s like the day crawls in slow motion.

Psalm 73:26 says, “My heart and my flesh may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Remember this when you rest, because we should be resting in God. He is the one who is in control and He breathes life into us when we seek His truth in His Word.

Examine. Check your heart – does it resemble the world or God? Are we doing what we want to do or are we homed in on what God’s plan for us is?

Remember, God’s purposes, paths and plans are always better than whatever we think we want out of this life. Rest in His will – not yours.

Psalm 139:1-3 says, “Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways.”

Surrender. After examining our hearts and realizing we’ve put our own desires and plans before God, we must surrender to Him.

What do you need to turn over to him today? What is exhausting you?

He can give you rest if you give up control.

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

When we rest in God’s presence, He makes Himself known to us. We are flooded with reminders of all that He has done for us in the past and all of the promises he has made for the future.

He is God.

He reigns forever.

Rest in Him!