Have Rest and God will do the Rest

Recently, I made a blog post about work and how to value it. Click here for more details. Now, our Pastor preached about rest.

Ohhhh!!! I’m allergic to this word. 😅 I want to walk out of the church the moment I heard that the preaching is about having rest. 😆 As usual, I will combine my notes and my own take about this preaching.

In work, more time spent is equivalent to more money. That is why when we want something or we need to pay for something we already have, we work harder until we become slaves of the material stuffs we have.

Proverbs 23:4 – Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!

We must have the wisdom to show restraint in staying more hours in the office and buying too many things that are causing us to work harder. While we pause for awhile, let us rest.

Why should we rest?

Aside from these healthy benefits of resting, we rest because :

1. God commanded us to rest. 

Exodus 20:8 – Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

2. Patterned by God. 

Genesis 2:2 – And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

3. Blessed by God

Exodus 20:11 – For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Wow, I wish the sermon already ended like that. 😅 But it didn’t. Rest isn’t just lying comfortably on the bed, eating popcorn and watching tons of movies and TV series in a day. There are ways on how we should rest : 

1. A rest that honors the Lord

When we rest, our number one priority is to honor God by going to church and spending time with Him by praying and reading His Word.

Ok, so are you telling me that we should always have rest on a Sunday? Not literally. We just have to set at least one day in a week and consider it as your Sabbath day. Like Pastors, their rest day is not on a Sunday because that’s their busiest day. Instead, they have Monday as their Sabbath day. That is also one of the reasons why some churches already have Saturday and Tuesday services.

2. A rest that trusts in the Lord

Oftentimes, we still work during weekends because we want to work overtime and receive more income. You see, when you rest for a day, God already provided for the day you miss work. It is automatic that He will provide for the days that you are resting and honoring Him instead of trusting on your own strength to gain more.

If you have doubts that God will provide, you can never find rest.

Exodus 16:26 – Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.”

Exodus 16:29  See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”

Having rest is the ability to trust God that everything’s gonna be ok while you are resting. Working too much even during your rest day is a sign of showing God that your plans are better than His. We should not just rest physically but also mentally and emotionally. Stop worrying! Cast all your worries to God. Rest your whole body and soul to Him. When you start to itch just to check your emails and some other things related to work.. remember that God is already at work in your situation. We just have to trust Him fully!

3. A rest that delights in the Lord

Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

A rest day is a perfect opportunity to spend more time with God by reading His Word and praying. In this way, we will definitely be rejuvenated.

Resting in Him is more than a spa day. It is better than shopping. More importantly, resting in God means more time to know Him more. This is something worthwhile.. promise!

Psalm 4:8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

If u look at the world, you’ll be distressed

If u look within, you’ll be depressed

If u look at God, you’ll be at rest

– Corrie Ten Boom

The truth is, we work harder because of many reasons. Some work to please other people, some work to gain more (money, popularity, material things, women, comfort), and others just want to be busy because they don’t want to be idle. Resting means trusting in God’s ability to take care of you. When we COMPLETELY trust Him in ALL aspects of our lives, everything else follows.

Psalm 34:10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Are you tired and weary? Are you in pain physically and spiritually? Are you losing hope?  Please follow this prayer :

Lord, I admit that I am already weak. I cannot do this without You. I completely surrender to Your will. I am sorry for the times I didn’t trust You. I now know that You can take care of me. Your plans are perfect for me and I will just rest in Your arms. Remove the pain I have in my heart. Give me strength and renew me daily. Come into my heart and give me joy in everything I do knowing that You are always in control. Teach me to number my days and take one day at a time. Always remind me that I can have rest because You will take care of the rest. Thank You Lord. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Did you join me in prayer? Do you want to know more about God and His love? Click here to learn more. Like the 700 Club Facebook page by clicking this.

Rest and stay blessed!