Resting with God

There's another great example for us about rest and the importance of rest in our lives. Remember the time that Jesus and His disciples were in the boat and the storm came up?

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40, NIV)

Think about that . . . Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, was sleeping.

Jesus spoke about rest, too. Let's look at the ninth chapter of Luke:

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:57-58)

Sometimes God chooses to rest in us. God desires that our souls be a sanctuary where He can rest His head. Are our souls and hearts busy, even frantic? Fractured with the cares and stresses of our everyday lives? Or are we resting in the knowledge that He holds our lives within His caring hands? Are our souls at peace? Quiet?

Silence, you know, can be very intimate. When you are with an old friend, someone you know well and who knows you well, you don't always have to be talking, do you? We can sit in a room with a trusted friend and not speak a word. The silence is not strained. It's comfortable. When with a loved one, silence can be more comfortable, more intimate than conversation. 

Silence can be a sign of God's trust in us, too. Far from being a sign of neglect, it can mean that He is working in the quiet. Do we trust Him to work? Or do we ramp up our cries for His help?  In John's gospel, Mary and Martha may have thought they and their brother were being neglected by Jesus. After all, Jesus lingered two more days before coming to their home, and by that time, Lazarus had died. But after that silence, Mary and Martha (and Lazarus) were drawn into a new closeness with God and a bright new knowledge of His power - Lazarus was raised from the dead.

Oswald Chambers noted that, "When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible - with absolute silence, not a silence of despair but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation."

What if we could provide places within our hearts that allowed our Savior to abide in us so deeply that He could quietly dwell in us and know of our love for Him? That allowed us to feel His presence even more strongly? That allowed Him to guide us?  It's a lovely thing to think about, but how can we make this real in our lives? We know that Christ is in us because the Bible confirms what we feel in our hearts: 

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. (John 14:23, NASB)

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (I Corinthians 3:16)

It's a concept that may take some getting used to, that God would want to rest His head. That He would desire the silent, peaceful rest of two soul-mates. That He would find our hearts a sanctuary . . . . but if we become a people accustomed to reflection and prayer, we will have more calm in our lives. We need to pull over, to take the "off ramp" from the rat race that the world says will make us happy. If we try God's way of rest, of slowing down, of pausing to appreciate the beauty of His creation, we can re-discover His peace.

 Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful. (John 14:27)

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! (II Thessalonians 3:16)