The Effort To Rest

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. [Hebrews 4.1]

God's rest is an interesting topic for discussion. What does it mean?

The writer of Hebrews does a pretty good job of explaining it, but it will only benefit us if we meditate on it allowing the Holy Spirit to make it real in us.

God's rest is just that: rest. He rested from all the work of creation as an example to us.

Sure we can toil all we want to for religious reasons, but if we are going to find God, it's going to be "on the porch taking it easy drinking a glass of tea."

Oddly enough, we fight and labor as faithful soldiers and laborers for our Father, however, our efforts are efforts of "doing nothing" so to speak instead of "doing something."

It might be likened to a spasming muscle: it takes a very concentrated effort to relax it! It just doesn't relax itself.

And so, we labor to enter God's rest, this:

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 4.11]

But, what does that mean? We might see the answer back up in chapter 3:

So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest. [Hebrews 3.19]

Faith is the effort we utilize to enter God's rest! And, what an effort faith is!

When all the world and our circumstances are screaming, "do something!" faith says, "have faith in God" (just remember trying to relax a muscle). In a world full of "solutions," it takes an enormous effort of faith to "relax" the "do something" muscle and simply allow God to be the Solution! The world will call it foolishness (which only adds to the pressure).

Father, I want to rest in You on purpose today and every day. Help me quit my worldly efforts and instead focus on faith - resting in You.