REST-THE GIFT OF GOD TO YOU
Restful. Peaceful. Happy.
Are you troubled and burdened? Do you feel a deep need for rest? Do you feel afraid, worried, and stressed? Then this message is for you.
Welcome Home. Welcome to Rest. Welcome to Love.
If there is one thing people need right now more than ever before it is this free gift of God, a rest that brings peace, tranquility, and satisfaction in all areas of their lives.
The world over people are agitated over so much. Stress levels are at an all-time high. Sleep for many does not provide the rest they so need, it is often just a temporary escape from the many problems that plague their hearts. Sleeping for many does not provide the needed rest of the body.
Relationships and homes that are meant to provide succour, a haven of rest to escape the chaos of the world have become sources of stress for many. People are sick in so many ways and the resultant effect on themselves and their families is often overwhelming. They are sick at heart, sad, depressed in their souls, and sick in their bodies.
Then there are the ever-present economic burdens that people face requiring many to take on multiple jobs which again increases stress as they have little time to rest and properly refresh.
Our society has made debt accumulation easy that people work and live to simply service debts and the mental toll on them is very significant.
The areas and results of lack of rest are as wide as human existence. People are restless in more ways than can be mentioned. The result is they find ways to cope thinking that restlessness and the never-ending cycle of insufficiency is a curse of the modern world they are meant to live with as best as they could. Entertainment, drugs, and all the ways man has tried to provide satisfaction for himself have at best provided only temporal relief.
The big question now that faces us is "can a human living in the world today have true rest and satisfaction?"
Regardless of what is going on today, the wars and rumours of war, is it possible to experience that tranquil state of mind that we all seem to work for and yet hardly experience?
Can we have the rest that we have dreamt about and made the subject of our movies and fiction, with the hope that it will calm our minds and bodies? Is it possible for the peace in our imaginations to become our daily experience?
Thankfully, the answer is a resounding yes!
Yes, it is possible to live at peace with yourself, the people, and the world around you. It is possible to have rest regardless of the restlessness in the world today. Despite the challenges of life, you can have a mind at rest and be better able to navigate through life and have nothing bothering you.
God has promised rest and has fulfilled it to all who will reach out and receive it. He offers in Matthew 11:28–30
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. 29 Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. 30 For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” TPT
There's rest for you, rest for your souls, and more.
King David happily proclaims that God, the shepherd leads him beside the still and quiet waters.
The passion translation puts in very poetic and soul-soothing words.
"The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd.
I always have more than enough.
2 He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love.
His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.
3 That’s where he restores and revives my life.
The message translation gives us another perspective that we begin to sense the comforting hand of God from simply reading the words
"You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction."
These are not just fine-sounding words written to show the poetic abilities of the writers. No. These words reveal the rich experience of many a weary traveller in this world. They also reveal the life that is waiting for you to experience. In Him, God provides an escape from the troubles of this world.
God has made it so that you can find in Him all the rest you need in all areas of your life. The rich experience of tranquility that you crave can be found in God. He not only takes care of what you are going through, but He also gives you the peace that stays unruffled regardless of what you face.
Many times the trouble in our hearts is not necessarily because of the problems directly, but they arise from our inability to handle the problems, they come from a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Thankfully God is here to help, He is even called the God of hope.
"Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!" Rom 15:13 TPT.
Romans 15:13 (NKJV): "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Let's drink more from the refreshing waters of His promises.
Ps 23
AMP
The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
2 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.
3 He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.
4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.
6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.
Even God rested on the seventh day after creating the world and instituted that in the least you should have a day to rest from all activities. By this, He tells us that the need for rest is wired into our makeup. This is good news because it means rest is available to you.
Exodus 33:14 (NKJV): And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Psalm 4:8 (NKJV): I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Real rest, permanent rest is found in Jesus.
"Come to me" Jesus gives an open invitation to you the weary. The invitation is to a Person. Come to Me. I am your Oasis in the midst of the trouble and chaos. Come to me, find rest and refreshing, not in a system, not in stuff, those are temporary, fleeting, and transient.
Come to Me, the Rock of Hope. The lasting peace and satisfaction you need are found in Him. Jesus offers rest, refreshing, and rejuvenation. He offers rehabilitation and transformation.
You were created for Him. He is the One who can satisfy and give your heart the purpose for living. Restlessness is a result of losing alignment with Jesus. And that rest can only be restored by proper realignment with Him.
He is the refreshing river that can calm the heat of the world that burns over you.
Come to Me says Jesus because my peace I give to you.
Jesus is the burden-bearer for all who carry burdens. Whatever your burden is, He says come.
There is no burden that Jesus cannot take from you.
What is the labour and toil that keeps you weary and tired? He says come to Me. In Him, you will find rest. He is the answer to all that troubles you. He has the power and resources to take care of all your needs. Even more than that He loves to help you. His heart is bent toward you.
"Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you." 1Pet 5:7.
He always tenderly cares for you. He cares with a tender, soft, and understanding love that seeks to help, soothe and relieve.
Would you come? Come to Him in humility, acknowledging your need. Tell Him everything. Pour out your heart as it is. He understands the silent, unspoken rhythms of the heart.
He's able to decode the pain that no human can understand and even the ones you lack words to express, He understands and Lovingly offers His help.
Come to Me. He is the fountain of life. He is life. He is the meaning of life. True soul-satisfying life can only be lived in Him.
He knows and understands you like no one else. He knows you better than you even know yourself. Your truest expression of yourself can only come from Him. So He says come to me. Come to me and find yourself.
Come out of the confusion in the world and find rest in Me.
Come to me...all. Not some. All.
Do you feel rejected by people? He says Come.
Do you feel rejected even by yourself, with the never-ending self-talk of condemnation and inadequacy ringing ever so loudly in the silence of your internal conversations? He says come to me and receive unconditional acceptance. Come and experience the love that is lasting and true.
Like the song says "...softly and tenderly Jesus is calling..."
Respond to this call to rest in green pastures of love, and acceptance.
He offers you a resting place in His luxurious and glorious yet so tender love.
He invites you to His oasis of peace, quiet, and tranquility.
Have you been told that you are not good enough to please God? Do you feel you cannot measure up to God's requirements? Are you plagued with the incessant voice of condemnation that tells you you ain't good enough for God?
He says come to Me. He does not need you to be good enough. Your goodness will come from Him. He's the one who will transform you and make you what He wants you to be.
He has prepared righteousness as a gift, a beautifully-made soft robe for you to put on. He waits to put it on with all the tenderness and warmth of a loving parent.
His love transforms. His grace empowers you to be all He wants you to be. The power to be comes from Him, not from your effort and strength. He is the one who puts in you the desire and the power to please Him. So come to Him.
Phil 2:13 says "God will continually revitalize you, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases him."
He is all the power you need. The joy and satisfaction of your life can only be found in Him. So come.
COME TO ME...
The journey of a lifetime begins in Him. When you find Him, you find life. You meet with the real essence of life. You come in contact with the fountain of life that never loses its sweetness.
Permanent rest and tranquility are in Him. Rest is His gift to you.
Yes, this does not mean the absence of problems and challenges, but in Him, you have all the answers. In Him, challenges don't have the last word. Challenges don't dictate the outcome or direction of your life. He does.
And He says His plans and thoughts for you are Always Peace. His intentions are always to give you rest.
In Him, you work and still have rest. He comes alongside you and helps you. He carries your burdens.
"All praises belong to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he is the Father of tender mercy and the God of endless comfort. 4 He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us." 2 Cor 1:3,4. TPT.
Again listen to the invitation of Jesus:
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.
30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.
Can anything be clearer than this?
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” THE MESSAGE
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest! Put on my yoke 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.” PHILLIPS
In Him, you find rest even as you work. Now that's rest indeed.
Welcome home. Welcome to rest.
Let us pray:
Our Precious Father in heaven, we thank You for providing rest for us. In you, we find rest for our souls and bodies. You give us peace that cannot be taken away by any circumstances. You give us peace that gives us stability at all times. We are grateful.
We ask that You help us to keep our eyes and minds on You no matter what comes out way. May we listen and respond to Your call to come.
We arise from our failures and fears. From our difficulties and challenges, we arise from abuse, from lack. We arise from all that disturbs us and we come to You. You who is Peace. You who is our rest.
We come to our God. We Come to Satisfaction. We come to Jesus. We come to Jesus. We come to the gift of God to us. We come to Rest.
Thank you, Lord Jesus.
In Jesus' Name.
Jesus says to you,
Welcome, Home.
So amazing to think I have a place of rest in Christ.