Taking Time to Rest

 

“Throw yourself upon God’s faithfulness as you do upon your bed. Bringing all your weariness to his dear rest” C.H.Spurgeon

 

I read this quote this morning and was reminded of the need to rest. As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been very quiet lately on the blog. It’s not because I can think of nothing to write about, or that God is not blessing or working, but it’s just from sheer busyness!

Life is racing along at a pace that has me running from one thing to the next 24/7. But as I read this quote and then proceeded to read some verses on rest and the weary soul, I was convicted of my need to slow down, and take time to spend some of my busy minutes in solitude with the Lord.

I decided to type the word ‘weary’ into my Bible app and one of the verses that jumped out at me was this.

Jeremiah 31:25 

 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.

It’s not one I was familiar with, but how precious the promise it held. The Lord says that he has “satiated” the weary soul. Now, this is not a word I use regularly, but it has the idea of replenishing, filling, to stuff or to gorge. The Hebrew definition used in the Bible means to make drunk, bathe, abundantly satisfy, to soak.

So, if the Lord is going to satiate my weary soul, then I know that’s something I long for.

At times, I want to repeat the words of the Psalmist-

Psalm 55:6-7  

And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.

Life becomes overwhelming. I want peace and quiet. I’m exhausted, tired, stressed and weary. Longing to throw myself onto a soft bed and sleep away the day. But it’s not always possible is it? But what is possible is resting in the Lord.

We know that God will renew our strength and help us to go on.

Isaiah 40:30-31  

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

There are days where the busyness crowds into every corner of our lives and we struggle to find time to get away with the Lord and rest on His promises, asking Him to guide and lead and give us wisdom in our everyday choices.

Right now, for instance, there are more than a hundred and one things I need to be doing, and the list is rattling around my head, even as I try to focus on what I write. The neighbourhood is waking up and beginning their day, my washing machine is reminding me of the load that needs hanging out, the boxes piled around me stare at me and cause me to think about the packing that needs to be done in order to move house. But this morning, I decided that the Lord was telling me to come away and rest. Just for a little while.

Mark 6:31-32  

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

You know, taking a rest from your busyness is not sin. What is sin, is NOT taking time to spend in God’s Word. It’s not wrong to stop, leave that pile of unfolded washing, the dishes in the sink, the emails that need attending to, and spend time with the Lord. Now, I’m not saying to neglect your duties, but rather, to prioritize. To do what is of eternal value.

The Lord actually commanded the disciples to come apart and rest. He knew their weariness. He knew their frailty. And He knew the importance of rest. And did you see that they did it? It says, “they departed”. They didn’t make excuses. They didn’t list off their to do lists to the Lord. NO. They went. They rested.

I know myself, that I continually make excuses for not resting. I don’t really know the meaning of ‘relax’. I do not do well just sitting idly. But, I do know that if I spend time in the Word, studying and reading, I enjoy my ‘rest’. It’s the kind of rest that my weary soul longs for and needs so desperately.

When we take time out to rest and spend time immersing ourselves in the Word of God, we come away refreshed. Enlivened. Maybe even satiated!

This short blog post is more of a post speaking to myself. I’m rebuking myself for my lacskadaisical attitude when it comes to stopping my busyness and coming away with the Lord. The Lord didn’t just whisper to my heart this morning, while I tried to sleep in just that little bit longer, NO! It was more of a shout! A wake up call! Like an air horn blown outside my window. The Lord spoke to me and convicted me of my neglect for the eternal things.

If the Lord is whispering to your heart and urging you to come away and rest, then don’t turn a deaf ear to Him. Don’t give Him your excuses. Give Him your heart. Your ears. Your eyes. Take time to soak in the precious promises of the Word of God. Find a place of solitude and make time for a few minutes alone with Him. You will be better off. You will find rest for your weary soul.

God will help you to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint, to mount up with wings as eagles and He will renew your strength.