REST

Hebrews 3:12-19

When God established his covenant with the patriarchs, He said that He would give them rest. Israel – up till today – has been largely a nomadic nation, whether by choice or not. Imagine living in the middle of nowhere with your family, servants, and animals. No security alarms, not even a fence surrounding you. After a while, God says, “Get up and leave,” without telling you the next destination. So you pack up everything and wave goodbye to what you cannot bring along.

Insecurity. Instability. Don’t we face the Shifting Sands everyday, too? Bombs are detonated all over the world. That college application doesn’t seem to impress the admissions team enough. The calendar has deadlines instead of dates; the mount of work grows exponentially. All too often, we lament: “I need sleep!” “I’m so tired.” “I wish I could sleep in.” “I’m not sure if I’m dead or alive.” We go to bed with a cluttered mind and wake up with a heavy heart.

But listen to this:

“For he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.

Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,

as you did that day at Massah in the desert…” – Psalm 95:7-8

God speaks – every day of “today.” Do we listen to His voice?

We are “the flock under his care.” Do we go to Him? Or do we turn away from Him?

“Come … I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

He invites us; it is up to us to respond. If we take a step towards Him, He will lead us to His pasture of rest. But if we, so full of ourselves, do not believe that we need Him, we will not be able to enter His rest.

Action:

Sleep earlier than usual the next week. Spend some time on your bed freeing your mind from the day’s debris, by walking through the day mentality expressing gratefulness for the “ups” and offering a short prayer for the “downs”