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my soul finds rest in God alone

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We often hear, “Do not be anxious about anything…” from Philippians 4:6, which continues, “… but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” But that feels so out of reach most of the time, doesn’t it? I don’t usually hear the context, especially verse 5, which concludes: “The Lord is at hand;…”

Wait. Verse 6 is not a new sentence! It is the “therefore” to follow this truth about God. Because He is here, near, we need not be anxious. This instruction is not in a vacuum; it is given in God’s presence. His presence is the atmosphere around us, and that is what makes it possible to forego anxiety and to choose gratitude and prayer.

I think anxiety crowds out prayer. It shows us lies or – at best – only part of reality. Praying is how we declare we are not alone or forsaken, because it assumes God is listening. Through asking God for what we need, we give anxiety a shove and our souls a place to land. Thus, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.1

If peace has to guard us, anxiety must be a sort of attacker or thief, or at least a deceiver or hacker, or quite possibly a terrorist. An unwelcome thing. But let us not fear anxiety; the Lord is at hand.

He keeps him/her in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him, because he/she trusts in Him.

Isaiah 26:3

Here, too, God is protecting us. “The Lord God is an everlasting rock.”2 “We have a strong city; He sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.”3 When the Hebrews came to the Red Sea, having been pursued by the Egyptians, Moses told them, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”4 Some translations say, “… only to be still.” This calls to mind Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that —” (Can you finish this verse?) “— that I AM God.” Earlier in this psalm, we read, “… God in the midst of her; she shall not be moved.”5 And “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”6

Scripture shows us an understood reality that God being God, and God being with us, means we are Safe. That, ultimately, in the most important of ways, we will prevail. The attacker, whether anxiety, an external foe or challenge, or a more spiritual oppression, will have to give way.

When the Israelites were in the wilderness, Moses asked God for a sort of sign that he had God’s favour. God said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”7

Is not rest the opposite of anxiety? We only rest when we can let go, but anxiety roams, grasping for a way to control and manage what feels too big. Our shepherd leads us well. He gives us green pastures and still waters where we rest and are restored. Psalm 23 goes on in verse 4, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

I think most of these verses are familiar to many, but I want all of us to really take God’s presence seriously as a gift and a shelter. Every day. Nothing else suffices; He himself is the answer.

Now what remains is to resolve how we will press into his presence as a matter of living, for our survival and our joy.

1 Philippians 4:7

2 Isaiah 26:4

3 Isaiah 26:1

4 Exodus 14:14

5 Psalm 46:5

6 Psalm 46:7

7 Exodus 33:14

journal on rest … observation

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An ancient post of mine, for this resting day.

 

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[Disclaimer: This essay will involve you looking up some Scriptures – let’s hear it for active reading!]

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Rest. It is a command.

God Himself set the example after He created the firmament, earth, and living things. He chose the seventh day, making it holy and blessing it. He rested. He then directed His people to do the same. Exodus 20 calls them to leave one day for a Sabbath to the Lord; all the other days are for work. Jeremiah 17 speaks of consequences of not observing the Sabbath — destruction — and of promises of prosperity if the command is obeyed. It is a day specifically set apart, sanctified, to worship God. Not only was keeping the Sabbath a matter of behavioral discipline, but of heart discipline as well. If people were always working, they would not be in a position to worship God with singular focus. It’s a day that requires significant preparation – setting aside food the day before, taking care of errands ahead of time. The entire day belongs to the Lord.

Today we still should keep the Sabbath. This idea may bring about thoughts of Matthew 12, where Jesus does not observe the Sabbath as the teachers thought He should. Jesus says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” And Colossians 2 advises against concerning ourselves with human teachings and regulations, specifically with respect to the Sabbath. Keeping this day holy is an Old Testament commandment, and we’re in the New Covenant, so why would we need to worry about it? Isn’t that legalism?

No. Jesus picked up grain on the Sabbath because He is its Lord and Creator. The teachers of the Law knew all about behavioral discipline, but their hearts did not understand. Paul writes to the Colossians about the Sabbath because the human regulations dealing with it are shallow and ineffectual; they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. And let’s look at Matthew 5, where Jesus states that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them. Anyone who breaks a command and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

The Psalmist(s) never would have associated the term ‘legalism’ with following God’s commands. David says in Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statues of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” The Law brings life and wisdom. Psalm 119:32: I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free. The Law brings freedom. (For more, look at Psalm 119:97-104 and Proverbs 28:7.) God’s Law was not meant to be stiff, stressful, or life-quenching. And Jesus preached peace through salvation. He broke through the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:15) which was created by the Law’s condemnation of sin. And now we uphold the law by faith (Romans 3:27-31). So still it stands, but differently. The former regulation of the law, while requiring perfection, made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7:18-19); now a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God and are reconciled with Him (Ephesians 2:16).

Now that we have a stew of passages and thoughts, let’s sort through them. The Psalms tell us that God’s commands are freeing, and from Paul we learn that we have grace in Jesus, who did not come to nullify God’s freeing commands. The difference is that now, we are not condemned when we break the commands; we have been forgiven and blessed to try again, to sin no more (neither do I condemn you – John 8:11). I believe that God gives us commands and disciplines us for our good. Exhibit A: Genesis 2:16-17. I believe also that we are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). If God commanded rest and took it Himself, it is reasonable to believe that we also need rest.

If this explanation isn’t enough, let us look to our own experiences. The majority of humankind is designed to need sleep. Not only that, but we need resting even while awake, whether that be physical, mental, or emotional. We push ourselves to our limits, filling days with meetings, learning, and people. We grow tired.

But I’m not talking as much about being tired. I want to keep the Sabbath because I need spiritual rejuvenation and renewal (rejuvenewal?). Because I want to hear from God and give Him a day of full access to me. Would that I could do that every day, but we also work, and have from the very beginning (Genesis 2:15). Sacrifice is not what Jesus desires, so much as mercy, which is a much better outward indicator of inner wholeness. I don’t keep the Sabbath in order to be a good person, sacrificing a day of my time to God; I keep it in order to be, and to be whole.

And let’s be clear about something else: Sabbath rest is not equivalent to being a vegetable in front of an electronic appliance. I’m talking about an encounter with God, one which leaves you changed, hungry for more, and filled with supernatural joy and peace. Good luck showing me a TV program that can do that. Isaiah 58:13-14 calls for abstinence from personal pleasures and idle talk on the Sabbath; it is to be a holy day, a delight and an honour. These verses promise that if we do not go our own way, we will take delight in the Lord, be carried and fed. This clearly is not a “personal day,” and it doesn’t mean that we just don’t work. We have lost the discipline of true resting.

Let’s follow this rhythm created for us (Matthew 5). The seasons follow one another in an anticipated rhythm; all spring things grow and push through, and we plant; all summer we tend; all autumn, we harvest and store. And winter is the Sabbath of seasons. Nothing more can be done. Everything has to rest, to prepare for the upcoming growth and impending life. Just so, it is needful for us to sit at the Lord’s feet and be in His Shekinah* presence (Luke 10:42). God’s refreshing power far exceeds anything created by man. Experience His fullness and glory. Be changed every week. Inhabit the lifestyle of true Sabbath rest.

* Dwelling, resting, settling (Hebrew)

what makes you come alive

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In honor of hubs having his birthday today, here is a letter about him to him, inspired by Seth and Amber Haines.

Dear Andy,

You dwell in a world of possibility. An idea finds its way into your head, and you explore it to great extent. You learn all the opportunities, all the challenges. You are an explorer in every sense of the term. You delve into public statements and philosophical treatises, into practical knowledge and into people. You quickly discover places and make haste to see as much of it as you can – you always want to make it to the mountain top.

But most, you explore truth. You come alive as you learn and finds words to articulate what is true and beautiful and good. You have fuel in your heart and mind, compelling you through a desire for everyone to know what you have found. You are a seeker and a finder, and a teller of story. You’re earnest and whole-hearted, and you pursue the person of God.

This is when you come alive.