Getting Rest from God amidst Storms of Life
Life can be exhausting and so tiring. And if life is a vehicle, we want to stop and say “I want to rest for a while”. But life moves on 
faster than we thought regardless of our conditions resulting to sometimes we nearly give up. Actually there has been numerous people who gave up of these race in life. They kill themselves through suicide, and some stopped with what they do best and decided to just looking at what’s happening as if satisfied of being just watchers while others are continuously fighting for their cause.
We can rest if only we allow God to give it to us. Rest does not come to us by default. Rest in our physical body, in our soul and emotions, and in our spirit.
Isaiah 40:1 – “Comfort, comfort your people…”
What are we to rest from?
1. Rest from work and from toil. Genesis 3:17 – “…curse is the ground because of you. Through painful oil you will eat of it.” Ecclesiastes 2:22 “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?”
What’s the meaning of all these tiring works in life? We work day-by-day hoping to get what we want, but after getting it, we want something else, something different because again, we are not contented and ended in despair. It’s a never ending cycle of life that if we do not give time to rest, we’ll see ourselves emotionally drained, dried, and tired or burned-out.
2. Rest from rest. Not all of us are tired because of work. Some are tired because of too much rest. Too much rest or too much sleep is also tiring. You know why? Our body was made not just to lay down and rest, but also to work and sweat. Otherwise, we will find our bodies sickly and are heavily burdened.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-8 – “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you,nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
In other words, to be idle or doing nothing is also tiring and exhausting. “Idle mind is a devil’s workshop. Idle hands are devil’s tools.” When the devil sees you idle, he pushes you to do something.
3. Rest from annoyance or vexations or distress. Proverbs 19:13 – “A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.” Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
There are people who are messengers of annoyance. People who are vexations to our spirit.
Annoyance can be caused by too much talk; too much attention to details; too much rules and regulations; too much negativism; and too much presence. Extremely organized and extremely unorganized are both causes of annoyance.
“A home must be clean enough to be healthy, but sometimes must dirty enough to be happy.” Anything that is extreme brings vexation in life. Don’t let little things become big.
4. Rest from fears, worries, and cares. Matthew 13:22 “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”
Matthew 6:27 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
“To be responsible and accountable is one. To be worrisome is another.” We can be diligent and responsible with the things we need to do, but to worry about the things to come, to happen is a different issue.
We need to let go of the things that are beyond our control. We need to unload them in order for us to move and do the God wanted us to do. You need give-up wrong relationships; wrong business transactions; wrong lifestyles…
5. Rest from Pressures. We need to rest from too much demand; pressures to conform, to give up, to produce. Sometimes we need pressure for us to be productive, but there are instances wherein ourselves are pushed beyond our limitations and capacity to produce. Even pressure cooker would tend to explode because too much pressure. More so, we, created in God’s image, must be free from too much pressures of life.
Our best should be enough, and we must not stand taller than what we really are.
Be yourself and be transparent of who you really are and what you really have. Don’t pressure yourself to please everyone. And that’s precisely the problem for most of us – we pressure ourselves just please our neighbor, colleagues, friends, etc. If you have no money to celebrate your birthday with a bang, so be it. You have no obligation to your neighbor for you to have a birthday bash.
Living beyond our means is a sin. Why? Because you are not acting truthfully…
6. Rest from our enemies. Psalms 31:13 “For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life.” These people are those who have plans to destroy us; to discredit us; to destroy our credibility and reputation. These are those who talks lies against us.
7. Rest from sin and from sinfulness. Psalms 51:3 – “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” Let’s rest from the guilt and fruits of sins.
We are all sinners. And nobody has the nerve to say “I am perfect” because nobody is perfect in the first place. Not even pastors, ministers, priest, or anyone who profess to be servants of God. We are only made perfect and righteous through the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. But there is a big difference between committing sin and living in sin. The first is committed because we are human – weak and vulnerable to commit mistakes as being still in the world, but the latter is being in a condition wherein the person is somehow delighted in committing sin – no conviction to stop sinning because he love doing it.
However, it is not the size of the sin that matters, it is how we threat them. Nonetheless, we need rest from sins and transgressions that make our spirit and soul tired and exhausted.
How do we get Rest from God?
1. From work and toil… Observe the Sabbath – Exodus 20:8-11
Let’s have a sabbath. Let’s have a rest. It’s a need not luxury. God commanded it because he knew that our physical bodies had limitations. But, let’s not make it too legalistic just like what the Israelites did during ancient times where Sabbath became a work.
2. From too much rest… Work when it’s time to work – Ecclesiastes 3:2 – “a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot…” Observe God appointed schedules. Don’t you know that work is a form of rest. Work will not be a work if you enjoy it.
John 9:4 – “4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” Work when their is still time, strength, and opportunity or chance to work.
Ecclesiastes 3:22 – ” So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?”
“Don’t work too hard that you no longer have time to enjoy the fruits of your work.”
3. From Vexations, annoying situations or people… Be Distant Physically – Proverbs 21:9 “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
If your companions will not change, change you companions. If your friends will not change, change your friends.
Be Distant in Heart – Psalms 32:7 -”You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Spiritual people has place and time in their heart for them alone and be detached from the physical world to be with God.
“People who are spiritual can be alone though in a crowd and detach yourself spiritually from the vexations around you.”
Reserve a space in your heart so God could come and sit their and you will have rest.
4. From worries… Seek the Lord – Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Peace of mind must not be dependent on the situations around us. It must dependent on what is in our hearts. And if the Lord is in our hearts, we are delivered from all our fears, worries, cares of this life…
“Security is not the absence of danger, it is the presence of God.” We are secure not because there is no danger but because God is inside our hearts.”
Matthew 6:25-33 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life…”
It’s good to be diligent, but it’s not good to be too much dependent on what you can do because end of the day, you will find yourself limited resulting to worrying on what will happen to you in the near future especially when the time comges that you can no longer do what you are capable of doing and you can no longer go to the place you normally visit.
Security must not be dependent on our savings, or on anything that we have including our skills and talents. Be the best that you can be and do the things with all your best, then stop.
“Give us this day our daily bread…” Plan but do not worry
5. From pressures… Live by God Standards – Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Be your best and exert effort without competing to your neighbor or relatives. If you do, you’re just hurting yourself.
Don’t measure success by the standards of this world because if you do, you will either have arrogance in yourself or self-pity.
Let’s live by God’s standards by starting to see yourself as He sees you. Let’s be the best version of ourselves on the basis of God’s plan and perfect will. It’s best for us to exert more effort for our spirituality.
6. From our enemies… Ask God to keep you safe and deliver you from your enemies – 2 Samuel 7:11 “and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders [a] over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.”
Psalms 31:15 “My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.”
7. From our Sins… Repent and Confess – Psalms 32:5 “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD “— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Be responsible and accountable to what you’ve done. We are not exempted from the fruit of our transgressions. We were freed from the guilt of sins but not from the fruits.
Galatians 6:7 “7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
Conclusion
God wanted us to rest in this life. Rest from work, rest from rest, rest from vexations, from pressures, from our enemies, from our sins…
Exodus 33:14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28-30 “28″Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Meanwhile, sing this appropriate song in finding rest from God…
Still Lyrics with Chords
by Hillsong Music
C G Am F Dm G-D Hide me now, Under Your wings C G Am F Dm G Cover me, within your mighty hands Chorus: F G C When the oceans rise and thunders roar F G Am I will soar with You above the storm F G C Father You are King over the flood F G C I will be stil l and know You are God! II. C G Am F Dm G Find rest my soul, in Christ alone C G Am F Dm G Know His pow'r, in quietness and trust Repeat chorus Adlib Repeat the chords of intro Repeat stanza II Repeat Chorus
Watch Still streaming video online
