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Grace takes you from where you are to where God wants you to be. The prayer of David as he neared the end of his earthly life, having experienced the Lord as his good shepherd, reveals the majesty and splendor of the God, who today can be the same in your life too. ‘Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power, the glory, the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom O Lord, and you are exalted as Head over all. Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. [1 Chronicles 29:11,12] He is the exalted Head over all; and in His position of Headship, with loving care He leads you.
The Lord is your shepherd
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. [Psalms 23:1-3] It is a portion of scripture that you undoubtedly know very well. But, what does God want to speak to you, through what you already know? It all begins with God; and more importantly, being in relationship with God. For, you cannot receive all that comes to you from God, unless your focus and attention is fixed upon Him. It is they who are led by the Spirit, who are the sons of God. Being His child is a relational word. And out of this relationship He gives you rest, even in a stressful world that is full of turmoil. A right understanding of the truth though, needs to be in you, in order to experience the rest that He offers you.
a) You are not pressured to lead yourself
It is your shepherd who leads you, to make you lie down in green pastures and beside still waters. Therefore, you need not be burdened by the pressure of trying to lead yourself. Rather, you can find rest in your innermost being, knowing that He will lead you.
The Lord is your shepherd.
To the sheep, green pastures and still waters is the place where it’s needs are met, that it may rest and be restored. But you are a human being, infinitely complex and unique, intricately woven together in your mother’s womb by the Creator Himself, with aspirations and dreams within you. And the analogy of the sheep being led to the place of rest, finds it’s application in you, in the truth of God’s word that declares, Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord. [Deuteronomy 8:3] As a child of God, you are led by the Spirit of God who enlightens you through God’s word. And the ultimate aim of it all is coming to a place of rest, knowing that the Lord has accomplished it all, already prepared all that you need, for all the days of your life.
b) No more running around
Therefore, the rest that God gives, will free you from a wandering around that drains you, to be firmly planted in the place that He leads you to. It would be like the sense of rest that arises in you when you are back in your own space, after a time of running around, or feverish activity that makes you long for the peace and comfort of your home. For, even if it is not so neat and perfect, there is no place like your own home!
They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do they prosper. [Psalms 1:3] Familiar words but forceful. Being planted is a position of rest. And this is the path to being led to it. But their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night. [Psalms 1:2]
Meditating is not something mystical. It is all about focusing your thoughts on one particular thing, to the exclusion of all else. In fact, worrying about something is nothing but the antithesis of it, a type of meditation that is negative and unfruitful. For, worrying focuses on the problem, while meditating on the word focuses on the solution, which is the promise from God. Meditating on the word is what sees the provision of the promise, in God’s appointed time. Meditating day and night is not about retreating from the world to be in silence and emptiness. It is about a part of you, deep within, being continually in contact with God and His word, even as you go about the tasks of the day. And there is no pilgrimage on which you need to embark on in order to achieve it. For, living now in the greater glory of the new covenant, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And therefore, as the Lord has said, out of your innermost being, rivers of living water spring forth, signifying the work of the Spirit in you.
The Holy Spirit is in you, leading you into all truth. ‘Thy word is truth’ says the Lord Jesus unto His Father. The word of God becomes the living waters that flow within you, filling you with power, love, bearing the fruit of the Spirit in you, and above all, flooding you with God’s abiding presence. In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [John 1:1] The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and He now abides in us through the Spirit. The green pastures is the place where your need is met, and you find rest, is the word of God. And, the still waters -is the water of the word that cleanses and sanctifies you. You are cleansed and sanctified by the washing of the water of the word. [Ephesians 5:26]
Rest – the open invitation:
‘Come unto Me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’ [Matthew 11:28] Green pastures and still waters, is the place of rest that you find, in and through the word of God. And in the verse above, it is the Eternal Word, Christ Jesus, inviting you to come to Him, and find rest. It is an invitation that is open to all. He calls you to come to Him, casting all your cares and burdens upon Him, for He cares for you.
Receiving His rest to experience it
His rest comes to you by grace and through faith. And whatever grace provides, you only need to open your heart and receive. There is nothing that you need to do to earn it, for it comes to you as a gift. Therefore, knowing how to receive the Lord’s rest is vitally important. For otherwise, there will be a failure in receiving it, and hence, also in experiencing it, but it is not a failure on the part of the giver.
How do you receive it?
Listening to His word is what you learn from Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus. And she (Martha) had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. [Luke 10:38] This needs to be your position to receive the rest that the Lord offers you. And when you understand this truth, and operate in it, you will see all restlessness in you depart, to be replaced by a rest that is profound and sound.
The source of the Lord’s rest – His word:
‘Come unto Me …and find rest’, is the Lord’s open invitation. And Mary came to Him, sat at His feet, and listened to His word. Everything, both tangible and intangible, is created and sustained by God’s word. The rest that comes to you from God also, comes in the form of His word. It follows logically therefore, that in order to receive the specific rest giving word from God, you need to be listening. It is what Mary did. She positioned herself rightly in order to receive from the Lord. The water that is flowing through a tap will fill your pot that is empty, only when the pot is positioned rightly under it. You have a position in which you can prosper in all things. It is through being seated at the feet of the Lord, listening to His word.
Listening to Him in your prayer
Speaking to the Lord is the freedom, and the privilege that you enjoy, in your time of prayer. But, there is also the need to attentively listen. For, to that to which you give your attention, you also become sensitive to. And it is with sensitivity to the Spirit of God, that you will hear His still, small voice, and the specific word from God that comes to you. But, you can be distracted into thinking that it is the word in season for someone else, and not you. And then, you will end up not receiving the word, only to find yourself losing out on the rest that God is giving you.
Listening involves understanding
Hearing from God, always involves listening, and listening with understanding. It is then that you are set free, and made strong. And then, even when buffeted by the storms of life, you will not crash, but stand firm instead. Understanding what you hear from God, and just hearing the word, is put simply, like what differentiates music from noise. Music communicates to your soul, while noise is just a meaningless sound that reverberates in your ear. God communicates, in giving rest to you, through His word. And the key to experiencing it in your life lies in receiving it rightly. Mary listened and received. Her sister, Martha though, displays the other end of the spectrum. And it could very easily happen, in anyone who is unable or unwilling, to rightly receive the rest that the Lord gives.
Martha’s complaint – probing deeper:
But Martha was distracted by her many tasks. So she came to Jesus and asked,” Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then, to help me”. [Luke 10:40] On the surface of it, when taken at face value, there seems to be favor in the side of Martha, in what she is pointing out to the Lord. But, it needs to be gauged in the light of the Lord’s reply, for it addresses something deeper, the importance of an undivided heart, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’ [Luke 10:41,42]
The one thing
Martha was at first distracted. She was unable to give her undivided attention, and stay focused on what was of primary importance. It then led her to be distressed, losing her sense of ease and rest. And this is what the Lord addresses here, in pointing out to her the one thing that she needed to do, in order to experience inner rest.
Overcoming distractions
In life many things can crop up to distract you from hearing the word and receiving the rest that God gives through His word. It is then that you need to cry out to the Lord, like the psalmist, asking for an undivided heart and mind. For, anything that distracts, will when it is not dealt with rightly, lead to distress in you. It could be a concern that quickly progresses to worry, an unhealthy fear, a discouraging failure, whatever. And when you are in distress and despair, your body and soul can so easily be led to disease, as you lose your inner rest and ease. It is why, when you are in the midst of a problem, where you are seated, is so crucial.
For, it is the deeper reality, the truth of God’s word that you need, in order to recover your rest and ease once again. And as you are seated at the Lord’s feet, receiving His word rightly, just one word from Him will solve your problem, showing you the path to overcome it. ‘I will set him on high, since he has known my Name’. [Psalm 91:13] It is the unchanging word of God that stands forever. And it is where you receive your rest, in the security of God’s word.
The ark of Noah was high and secure:
Noah received the word from God in obedience. And when everything else on earth was submerged by the flood waters, the tallest mountains and Everest the highest mountain peak, the ark of Noah was higher than it all, kept safe and secure by God. ‘As in the days of Noah’, Lord Jesus recounts in the gospels, to teach the truth that in every generation there will be people who are wicked, causing harm and trouble. But when you are the blessed child of God, you will always be above, and never below. It is His word, His covenant promise to you.
Seated in the heavenly places in Christ
And raised us up with Christ, and seated us with Him, in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. [Ephesians 2:6] This is the truth of God’s word, settled forever in the heavens. And it is where you need to find your rest, even in the midst of your problem. You will always be above, never below. It may not be where you are right now for you may have fallen, broken by life’s viciousness, but you will find rest and the strength to overcome, when you cling to the word that declares, Do not gloat over me, O my enemy; though I fall, yet I shall rise… [Micah 7:8] Or, you may even now be thinking that it is all too late, feel that the flood waters have gone over you, and at the point of losing all hope. But as you receive your rest in God’s word of life and truth, you will overcome for God has a way to draw you out of the flood waters, and lift you up to keep you high and secure.
God gives rest in work
The God of heaven will give us success; so we rise up and build. [Nehemiah 2:22] It was the clarion call of Nehemiah, as he encouraged the exiles who had returned from Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem. A painter, even before he paints a single stroke on the bare canvas, has the completed picture in his mind. Nehemiah too, had in his heart received from the God of heaven, the picture of the rebuilt wall, even before a single stone was laid.
It was why he could confidently and courageously declare the success of what lay ahead. For, the wall was in ruins, and the opposition that he faced was intense. But, in the midst of it all, the wall was built in just fifty two days. Indeed, the God of heaven had given them miraculous success, against all odds. And trusting in His word, Nehemiah was working from a position of rest, unfazed by challenges. Even in your work place today, or at home, you too can work from a position of rest. You can experience rest in your work, as you receive God’s word concerning it and find your rest in it.
You can rise up and build too
All that God has entrusted in your hand – your home, your family, your ministry, whatever it may be, big or small, you can rise up and build too. The God of heaven will bless you with good success. He is your Shepherd who leads and guides you, in rest and restoration. He is the Breaker who goes ahead, removing hindrances that lie in your path ahead. Your problem may be complicated, but you are complete in Christ. For, when you come to the Lord, to sit at His feet and hear His word, you will surely receive the specific word of promise, that gives you rest in your situation. And in an attitude of rest, with absence of all stress, you will then work to overcome, what was threatening to overcome you. ‘Come to me, and find rest’ is the promise of rest that the Lord offers.
The promise of rest still stands
Therefore since a promise remains of entering His rest… [Hebrews 4:1] The promise of rest still stands, and the Lord wants to give it to you, even today. It is not a promise that is only for the people of Israel. On your part, the key is to receive in faith, what is offered to you. The Israelites failed to receive it, for they did not faithfully believe in the word that they heard.But it need not be your story. For we who have believed do enter that rest, [Hebrews 4:3] the word declares. As you believe with conviction and understanding in His word of promise, confessing it in faith, with a conduct that is aligned to it, you receive and enter into the place of rest.
A return to your rest
The psalmist David experienced many troubles in his life’s journey – turbulence and pain, betrayal and treachery that distressed and troubled his soul that he says, Why are you distressed O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? [Psalms 42:5] It is the sad cry from the heart of a man whose soul is deeply troubled, as he consoles and strengthens himself in the Lord. Psalms Chapter 42 and 43 are a reflection of it. But he went on to experience the rest from God in his later years. The rest which causes him to make a bold declaration and to speak with words of conviction and confidence, to his own soul, having experienced God’s faithful goodness. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. [Psalm 116:7] It is the word in which you too can receive your rest today.
He has dealt bountifully with you
Whatever may be the distressing situation that you find yourself in right now, be bold to proclaim this word of promise to you. That indeed the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. Confess to your soul how good the Lord has been to you. And may all your restlessness leave, to see you find rest in Christ, the Eternal Word, as His word dwells in you richly. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
