Rest. Peace. Relax. Break. Stillness.
I never was good at grammar, or spelling. Wikipedia tells us that rest has several definitions depending on how you use it and what you are talking about. During this blog, we are going to consider "rest" as an action. It seems funny, in my head, to think of the word "rest" as an action because when I want to rest, action is the last thing I want to do. If you tell me to rest, I want to sit or lay, not think or talk or do. Certainly not act. No action.
The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
In Exodus 33 we see Moses' concern because the Lord has commanded him to do great things. To lead a group of people in a way that Moses is clueless about. Certainly anxiety flowed as he began to question our God. (Does that sound familiar to anyone?) - Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people. (Exodus 33:12-13)
I can imagine the look on Moses' face when the Lord responded with "My presence will be with you, and I will give you rest."
Jesus' powerful words in Matthew sound like alarms in my head every time I agree to rest, but instead try to act.
I want more. I want more than my corporate-American job, my "luxury-living" apartment, and surface level commitment to the amazing ministries and people who surround me. I want to get my hands dirty and I want to see His power. I want to witness things happen that cannot be explained by human power. I want Him to use me the way He did Moses. Even through my selfish hesitations and anxious questions. I want His presence to go with me and I want Him to give me rest.
In my last post, when I talked about the cold and hard truth I learned this summer, it was about this action: rest. When I said we live with an anticipative attitude, this is what I meant:
When things are going well for us, we almost can't enjoy it because we know that a storm is coming. When we are in a storm, we beg the Lord to "hurry up and get us through it." - This summer, I had storms. Several. One after the other. I remember telling my friend Chase, "I couldn't finish one battle without another one starting." I remember a specific prayer that went something like this:
Before I could say anymore, He whispered, "Finally. You realize you don't know what else to do, so you're going to let me handle this one? Rest in me." I was standing in front of my bathroom counter when I almost tripped over my own feet trying to get to my phone to call Laura. She didn't answer but almost immediately called me back. "Laura, I'm such an idiot. How did I not realize this sooner," I said. I can't remember, but she likely laughed because we did that a lot. She asked what I was talking about, although she already had an idea due to the countless hours we spent on the phone trying to solve all the world's problems. (We were 5 hours apart but only a phone call away... thank goodness.) I explained:
"This is hard. All the challenges here, good and bad. Losing the person I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. The reality that I have to leave my summer family in a few days. The uncertainty of what I am going home to. It's all very heavy. And I keep asking God to 'hurry up' and get me through it.... (I know the Word and I believe it. I knew that God was going to get me through it and be with me on the other side. But I impatiently waited for that time to come.) ... but something occurred to me this morning. HE ISN'T GOING TO RUSH ME THROUGH IT." I heard the smile in Laura's voice when she said, "That's right, Ashli. That's good."
Let me explain what I meant. Every single day is a learning day. Another opportunity for God's mercies to be made new, another day for His glory to be known. Another day for Him to teach us something new or remind us of something we forgot. Until that morning in front of my bathroom counter, I had forgotten the point of exactly what I had just prayed. That He is a jealous God and that He was teaching me something. Why rush through that?
Why "hurry up" and get through a time in which the Holy Spirit is drawing me to the lap of my Savior, to crawl into and rest? Drawing me to the ONLY place I can find rest. Why hurry through a process of refining me and bringing me back to my first love? (Revelation 2)
This truth rings like alarms in my head today as I wonder if I am where I am supposed to be, doing what I am supposed to be doing. I hear Him whisper, "Finally... you're going to let me do this one."
That day in Natchez, MS standing in front of my bathroom sink, He taught me something I hope I never forget: rest. Every single day, rest. In the storm, rest - and know that He is working all things together for my good. (Romans 8:28) In the sunshine, rest - and know that even if a storm is coming, I will rest during it. Through the refining moments, rest. When I 'literally do not know what else to do,' stop... and rest.
Pray with me, for rest today.
I never was good at grammar, or spelling. Wikipedia tells us that rest has several definitions depending on how you use it and what you are talking about. During this blog, we are going to consider "rest" as an action. It seems funny, in my head, to think of the word "rest" as an action because when I want to rest, action is the last thing I want to do. If you tell me to rest, I want to sit or lay, not think or talk or do. Certainly not act. No action.
The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
In Exodus 33 we see Moses' concern because the Lord has commanded him to do great things. To lead a group of people in a way that Moses is clueless about. Certainly anxiety flowed as he began to question our God. (Does that sound familiar to anyone?) - Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people. (Exodus 33:12-13)
I can imagine the look on Moses' face when the Lord responded with "My presence will be with you, and I will give you rest."
Jesus' powerful words in Matthew sound like alarms in my head every time I agree to rest, but instead try to act.
I want more. I want more than my corporate-American job, my "luxury-living" apartment, and surface level commitment to the amazing ministries and people who surround me. I want to get my hands dirty and I want to see His power. I want to witness things happen that cannot be explained by human power. I want Him to use me the way He did Moses. Even through my selfish hesitations and anxious questions. I want His presence to go with me and I want Him to give me rest.
In my last post, when I talked about the cold and hard truth I learned this summer, it was about this action: rest. When I said we live with an anticipative attitude, this is what I meant:
When things are going well for us, we almost can't enjoy it because we know that a storm is coming. When we are in a storm, we beg the Lord to "hurry up and get us through it." - This summer, I had storms. Several. One after the other. I remember telling my friend Chase, "I couldn't finish one battle without another one starting." I remember a specific prayer that went something like this:
Lord, I know that you are teaching me something through this. I know that you are a jealous God and that I have been distracted, and You are therefore removing those distractions and making me focus on You. So please Lord, get me through this. I have tried everything I know to do and I literally do not know what to do anymore.
Before I could say anymore, He whispered, "Finally. You realize you don't know what else to do, so you're going to let me handle this one? Rest in me." I was standing in front of my bathroom counter when I almost tripped over my own feet trying to get to my phone to call Laura. She didn't answer but almost immediately called me back. "Laura, I'm such an idiot. How did I not realize this sooner," I said. I can't remember, but she likely laughed because we did that a lot. She asked what I was talking about, although she already had an idea due to the countless hours we spent on the phone trying to solve all the world's problems. (We were 5 hours apart but only a phone call away... thank goodness.) I explained:
"This is hard. All the challenges here, good and bad. Losing the person I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. The reality that I have to leave my summer family in a few days. The uncertainty of what I am going home to. It's all very heavy. And I keep asking God to 'hurry up' and get me through it.... (I know the Word and I believe it. I knew that God was going to get me through it and be with me on the other side. But I impatiently waited for that time to come.) ... but something occurred to me this morning. HE ISN'T GOING TO RUSH ME THROUGH IT." I heard the smile in Laura's voice when she said, "That's right, Ashli. That's good."
Let me explain what I meant. Every single day is a learning day. Another opportunity for God's mercies to be made new, another day for His glory to be known. Another day for Him to teach us something new or remind us of something we forgot. Until that morning in front of my bathroom counter, I had forgotten the point of exactly what I had just prayed. That He is a jealous God and that He was teaching me something. Why rush through that?
Why "hurry up" and get through a time in which the Holy Spirit is drawing me to the lap of my Savior, to crawl into and rest? Drawing me to the ONLY place I can find rest. Why hurry through a process of refining me and bringing me back to my first love? (Revelation 2)
This truth rings like alarms in my head today as I wonder if I am where I am supposed to be, doing what I am supposed to be doing. I hear Him whisper, "Finally... you're going to let me do this one."
That day in Natchez, MS standing in front of my bathroom sink, He taught me something I hope I never forget: rest. Every single day, rest. In the storm, rest - and know that He is working all things together for my good. (Romans 8:28) In the sunshine, rest - and know that even if a storm is coming, I will rest during it. Through the refining moments, rest. When I 'literally do not know what else to do,' stop... and rest.
Pray with me, for rest today.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
It's amazing sometimes how someone can say the exact thing that you need to hear at the exact moment that you need to hear it without them ever even knowing you needed to hear it. Ashli, hearing "Rest in me" was the exact words that I was searching for in all that I am facing right now. I find myself so many times taking on the "burdens of the world" as you say I do that I forget to just rest in Him. I am terrible about wasting away the very seconds, minutes, and hours of each day or saying that there is just not enough time for me to accomplish everything. God is just revealing to me that I need to be on HIS clock not my own and rest in that knowing that He will get me through it. DON'T rush His timing. I just need to allow Him to work. WHAT A WORD FROM GOD! This brought me to tears as I re-read your prayer and spoke that over myself. Oh what words of wisdom......
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