To prepare you ahead of time...today is going to be a rather random day. I have many thoughts racing through my mind and my prayers. I have read multiple things this morning and I believe God has settled on me the topic of rest...of peace. I love the devotionals 'Jesus Calling', 'Daily Light' and 'My Utmost for His Highest'. I am also s l o w l y making my way through Beth Moore's book 'Breaking Free.' So please bear with me as I process.
To begin with I feel the need to mention that I am struggling with waking up and being anxious and then focusing on the thing that is making me anxious. Do you ever do that? Well, I woke up at 4 am this morning unable to get a thought out of my mind. I prayed, I wrestled, I got online searching the topic but mainly I just tried to go back to sleep. When I got up again at 6:15 am it was still there very heavy on my heart and mind. As I have a habit of journaling my prayers to the Lord...this helps me to release my thoughts...somehow seeing them in black and white helps me...I also spent time doing that and asking for His direction and His peace.
Here is what I discovered in reading several things and praying, the struggle is a need for rest... for peace. In Exodus 33, Moses is having a conversation, almost a debate with God. Verse 11 says, "The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend." And in verse 14, The LORD assures Moses, "My presence will go with you and I will give you rest." (rest here refers to the Hebrew word, nuwach) To rest, settle down and remain. To repose, have rest, be quiet.
In Exodus 33:15 "If Your presence does not go," Moses responded to Him, "don't make us go up from here. Moses continued his discussion with the LORD until he had rest or assurance that God is in charge, He has a plan and He will carry it out.
I don't know about you but looking at Moses' relationship with the LORD gives me hope. I mean Moses and God spoke face to face, God assures Moses of His presence and yet Moses still talks with God and says basically, if You don't go, LORD, I'm not going. In verse 17, "The LORD answered Moses, 'I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name." AWESOME!!! I am simplistic but what I see here is the fact Moses knew to find rest (to be able to settle down, to remain) the key is God's presence. He also knew that he could communicate with God, have relationship with him and one that was intimate. God is willing to meet with us, to give us the assurance that we need. I am grateful. Sometimes I need reassurance over and over again.
Do we realize that we can have this kind of intimate relationship with our Lord? We can! In relationship with Him, allowing Him to 'enlighten the eyes of our hearts so that we may know the hope of his calling, the glorious riches of His inheritance,' Ephesians 1:8. To paraphrase, Ephesians 3:16-21...Out of His glorious riches may we be strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. That being rooted and established in love, we may have power to grasp how wide, long, high and deep is the love of Christ. To know His love that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with the measure of all the fullness of God. He is able to do immeasurably more that all we can ask or imagine according to His power that is at work in us for His glory. Yes, LORD, may it be so!!!
Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. All of you take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves." Rest here is the Greek word, anapauo. It means to cause or permit one to cease from any movement of labor in order to recover and collect his strength; to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation. So the principle is the same here as with Moses that coming to God/Jesus is how we gain rest. According to commentator, Matthew Henry, Jesus uses the Words from Jeremiah 6:16 in Matthew 11 when He states, 'find rest to your souls.' To quote Matthew Henry, "Rest for the soul is the most desirable rest; to have the soul dwell at ease. Secondly, the only way, and a sure way to find rest for our souls is, to sit at Christ's feet and hear His Word."
To bring all these 'random' thoughts together I find that like Moses, I am insecure, I am bothered by things that I do not understand and cannot figure out. Herein lies my choice, I can get in God's Word, seek His presence and He will either answer my questions or give me rest from them. How? By changing my focus. Looking to Him instead of at my questions. He promises rest. He promises to go with us...His Spirit dwells within us if we are believers in Him (2 Cor. 1:22) Therefore, Eph. 1:8 and 3:16-21 can be true in us as well...I can know His love that 'surpasses knowledge,' 'be filled with the measure of all the fullness of God.' He will 'do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine by His power for His glory.' We get to chose all of that...will we come to Him? Will we receive His rest? Will we submit more of ourselves to the control of His Spirit in our lives? Do we really want rest? Or do we prefer to worry? Do we prefer to try to be in control? In the black and white of this writing it is not a tough choice, but in the walking it out moment by moment it can be.
Father, may I determine that I will only go where Your presence leads and trust that You can and will bring rest, but only by Your presence. Open the eyes of my heart to know the hope to which You have called me and allow me to know You better by Your Spirit of wisdom and revelation (Eph. 1:17-18) Forgive me for often choosing to worry, to try to figure things out on my own rather than seek Your rest. Teach me how to release the worry more quickly...to trust You more.
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