Exodus 33:14 NIV The Lord replied, My presence will go with you and I will give you rest
Who among us really gets enough rest?
I’ve been engulfed in the hustle and bustle of raising children for nearly 14 years.
Rest has not been high on my list of priorities.
In the midst of normal mommy life chaos, my most recent years have been filled with my own unexpected illness, week long hospitalization and multiple surgeries that have forced me to sit and rest.
This has been quite a stretch for my extroverted, type A personality.
After all, there are meals to be cooked, meetings to be attended, windows to be cleaned, playdates to be had, people to talk to….
I most certainly don’t have time to rest.
As the season has continued however, I am learning the value of rest and am finding that my forced pause has actually taught me to crave quiet and rest.
Another gift of my repose has been more time for God’s word.
Did you know that rest is mentioned over 200 times in the Bible?
Exodus 17 tells of the Israelites going to battle with Amalek. Elderly Moses sits up on a hill overlooking the battle. When he holds his arms up, Israel is victorious. When he gets tired, his arms drop. Israel begins to lose the battle. He needs rest. Finally, his good buddies Aaron and Hur roll up a stone for him to sit on and take a stance at his sides, each holding up an arm. Israel prevails. God’s blessing through Moses resting gives Israel victory over their evil Amalekite neighbors.
King David spoke of needing rest as he grieved the rebellion of his son Absolom. Psalm 55:6 ESV says “Oh that I had wings like the dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” Wouldn’t we all like to do that at times?
Even Jesus, our divine, yet also human Saviour spoke of needing rest. Mark 6 unfolds the time period around him choosing his disciples and hearing of his cousin John’s beheading. Near the end of the chapter, Mark 6:30 NIV, he invites his disciples to “come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest”. He understood the need for physical rest and modeled it well for his disciples.
The story of Mary and Martha (Luke 11) showcases Mary choosing rest, quiet at Jesus’ feet, gleaning from Him what she could while he is right there in front of her.
We are not put here to be lazy. I am learning however, that my list of accomplishments grows when I am intentional, taking the time to rest, both physically and at the feet of my Saviour.