2020: A Year of Rest

Choosing a word for the year is always an exciting process of self-discovery and renewed vision. As I was praying for the word to define this coming year, I went through the list of everything that has been coming to fruition the past 3 months – acceleration, leadership, elevation. But none of those felt right. I realized that although those define my life to some extent right now, that’s not what I want my focus to be. Suddenly I realized that the common thread through all of it was REST. Rest will keep the acceleration from exhausting me and the elevation from making me dizzy.

I’ve spent the past month ruminating on the phrase, “Everything done in Me is rest. Everything done outside of Me is striving.” The Lord gave this to me when I was deciding whether to accept a leadership position at an upcoming retreat. There was a huge time and effort commitment, and it seemed like too much with everything else happening. But when I asked for direction, this simple response is all I heard. So I said yes! And it has been so much easier than I imagined. Abba has changed my mindset so that I can approach the mounting task with peace and confidence instead of overwhelm.

Yes, but is that kind of rest Biblical? Aren’t we supposed to WORK for the Lord with all our heart (Col 3:23)? Yes, and yes.  Everything we do, in word or deed, should be done in thanks to God the Father (Col 3:17), and we should not grow weary while doing good (Gal 6:9). However, Abba is clear that everything is done in HIS strength and grace, not our own (1 Cor 15:10). Doing HIS works in HIS strength is true rest. Hebrews 3 and 4 talk extensively about the Sabbath rest of God and why the Israelites failed to enter it. Originally, this Sabbath rest was symbolized and encapsulated by the Promised Land – a distant promise to Abraham that was about to become a reality to his descendants after a relatively short walk through the wilderness (the safest path to get them where they needed to go and God’s method of preparing them for the fight they would face once they got to the Promised Land). God intended them to rest, not wander.

As I have been reading through Exodus, I have seen the profoundly moving kindness of God. He showed them His power and provision again and again through miracles of deliverance through the Red Sea, manna appearing every morning like the dew, undrinkable water purified, and enough water pouring out of a rock for between 1.5-2 million people (for some perspective, that’s more than the entire population of at least 10 different states).

God’s heart was for His people to know Him personally. That’s why He revealed His name – Yahweh – for the first time in history (Exo 6:1-3). He sent the plagues in Egypt so “that you may know that I am the Lord” (Exo 8:10, 22; 9:14, 29; 10:2). And yet in Hebrews, “the Holy Spirit says… your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.'” (Heb 3:7, 9-10). The reason they were unable to enter the promise was because of unbelief (3:19).  Why is that such a big deal? Why does it say that “an evil, unbelieving heart” will cause you “to fall away from the living God” (3:12)?

Simple. It’s all about trust. It makes me think of Aladdin holding out his hand to Jasmine with that hint of a smile and asking, “Do you trust me?” God held out His hand to His people so many times, demonstrating His love and trustworthiness and asking them to see Him and know Him. But every time the Lord came knocking to woo them, the people merely took the gift He offered and slammed the door in His face. That’s what unbelief looks like. They didn’t believe in the One who delivered them or trust His heart. Therefore they could not apply the power they had already seen to the battle that lay before them. Instead, they turned away in fear and did not step into the victory He had prepared for them. Their choice not to believe that God could fulfill His promise, despite all the evidence He had given them, prevented them from ever entering His rest.

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Now comes the part that’s hard to hear. The Israelites were commanded to “Go up, take possession [of the land], as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed,” (Deut 1:21). But they “did not believe the LORD [their] God,” and “rebelled against the command of the LORD [their] God.” (Deut 1:32, 26) It is easy to point fingers at them from outside the pages of history, but what about me? 

I have seen miracles of power and provision. I have been set free from depression, self-hatred, fear, shame, and bitterness. I have had plane tickets, emergency funds, and jobs drop out of nowhere too many times to doubt anymore. I have prayed for people and seen them healed. I have been in violent, terrifying situations and experienced complete peace. I know God is real. I have seen Him working in my life in profound, unexplainable ways.

I have been commanded as a disciple to live out His kingdom here on earth. Do I forgive when I’m hurt for the millionth time? Do I choose not to react in anger or retaliation when I’m wounded? How am I loving my friend, my neighbor, and my enemy? Am I willing to follow Jesus wherever He leads, no matter how uncomfortable? Am I preaching the gospel to those in desperate need of hope (including those who persecute me for sharing it)? How am I caring for the poor and abandoned?

Jesus declared His mission to “proclaim good news to the poor… proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at the liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). Am I joining Him in that mission? Do I believe He is powerful enough to come through on His promise to be with me to the end of the age (Mat 28:20)? Do I believe that I will do greater works than Jesus did so that the Father will be glorified in Him (John 14:12-13)? Do I pray like I believe I will receive what I ask in His name (John 15:16)? Will I “Go up, and take possession” of the promises in God’s Word? Or will I “rebel against the command of the Lord my God” because of fear?

Will I obey? Or will I fail to enter His rest because of unbelief?

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• Where have you been striving recently? What area of your life is exhausting you or stealing your joy? How are you not believing God’s promise to you in this situation? It might be that you are not supposed to be in that activity, or it might just be that you are trying to control the outcome instead of bringing it to Him.
• How can you start resting through belief in Him? This might look like letting go of some expectations or control. It might look like memorizing Scripture to use when you start to get overwhelmed. Or it might just look like being more aware of when you are striving and saying, “Jesus, I’m sorry for my unbelief. I rest in your strength right now and choose to believe that you are faithful in this situation.”
• Where have you seen God move on your behalf? How has this given you knowledge of Him that helps you to trust Him? Sit down for an hour, 30 minutes, even several sessions of 10 minutes if you have to. Write down the places, times, and ways that God has been gracious to you and what that reveals about His character. For example: “He delivered me from terror of driving on the highway (true story!). God is my deliverer and protector, my light and salvation. Whom shall I fear?“