Seizing God's Rest
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
- Matthew 11:25-29
Seizing God’s Rest - Condensed Video Version
In five short sentences, Jesus connects several amazing nuggets worthy of prolonged meditation. God is the source of wisdom and we value education, intelligence and rational thought; yet as we pursue higher thinking and seek to be seen as clever we might miss the simplicity of God’s truth. If we seek God the Father, we find Him through Jesus Christ, the source of rest and peace. God creates order out of chaos; He is the source of life, love and wisdom; we know God the Father through Jesus Christ; and the Prince of Peace offers peace, comfort and rest.
Last Wednesday my schedule was overloaded. I started my day much earlier than usual, hurried to work and jumped into the fray, moving from project to project without taking much of a break, before rushing to the Sanctuary to set up for our prayer meeting and Holy Communion. When the Sanctuary was prepared I sat in a pew, took a few deep breaths and suddenly realized how tired I was. In my stillness, exhaustion crept in. I closed my eyes and they burned. My body was tired. My mind was tired. I needed rest. As these things began to occur to me folks began to arrive for our time together in prayer. We talked, sang hymns, shared Holy Communion and prayed, and during our time together basking in Christ’s holy presence, my exhaustion disappeared. I stood after our time praying together and, amazingly, I was recharged. My eyes no longer burned, my body was no longer tired, I felt better in every possible way.
“Come to me … and I will give you rest … and you will find rest for your souls.” Rest. The Greek word translated in English as “rest” is “anapauso.” The word is sometimes used in a passive sense to mean sleeping or relaxing after hard work. In the passive sense the word focuses on the subject’s activity or lack of activity. But in the passage above, the word is used in an active sense focusing on the result rather than the activity, which may lead us to words like refresh or recharge. This is what I experienced. After a long, hard day I was exhausted and as I bowed before Jesus Christ worshiping Him, singing hymns and praying and seeking Him, He refreshed and recharged my body, soul and spirit. He recharged me. I experienced His anapauso, His rest.
We often discuss the revelation in Scripture of Jesus’s teaching, His loving action, and God’s power and authority flowing through Him by signs, miracles and wonders. While we regularly gather to study God’s holy word and we regularly go out into the world as God’s hands and feet serving others and fulfilling God’s mission, some believe that God has discontinued the practice of revealing His presence, power and authority through miracles, sign and wonders. But His miraculous signs and wonders are all around us. We simply need eyes to see them. When we pray He hears our prayers and He responds, when we seek Him we find Him, and He does indeed reach into our world demonstrating His holy presence in tangible ways. I know this because I trust in His promises and because I have experienced His touch – among countless other ways, on that particular Wednesday evening He refreshed me.
Our minds are gifts from God and education, higher intelligence, learning and refined clarity of thought are gifts from God and worthy pursuit; however, Jesus warns that our pursuit of cleverness might cause us to miss the simplicity of God’s truth. His presence, signs and wonders surround us. Jesus Christ is the source of peace and rest. He is the truth. May you find His rest and peace, may you have eyes to see His holy hand at work all around you, and may you experience His healing touch.