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As many of you already know, among the reasons I came to Denver was to REST and HEAL, and listen for the Lord's voice in what my next assignment or phase is to be in this ongoing journey. This has been an ongoing discussion between Doyle and myself, as we both struggle to learn what rest means.
What I'm going to share here is not a complete treatise on rest but is a work in process. I'm not making going to give you conclusions or a fix it plan, just some random thoughts, observations and some quotes. I pray that you will be blessed as you read and that the Lord will bless you with what He wants to say to you in your area of rest.
Consider Matthew 11:28-30 from The Message, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (italics are mine something to think about).
Jesus tells us, "I'll show you how to take a real rest." The question that I have struggled with is, How? String's Concordance defines the word from the Greek as 1)to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength; 2) to give rest, refresh, to give one's self rest, take rest; 3) to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation. For me, number 1 and 3 seem to be where I am struggling.
Along the same lines, Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still..." means to be quiet, to sink, to relax, or to let go. Oh, no, I can't let go! What if...?
Can it be that God will cause me to rest or allows me to do so on my own?
Here I'm reminded of the verse in Mark 6:31, in the KJV, Jesus speaking, it reads, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while...." Some, myself included, use this verse to tell people to Come a part before you come a part. But such a refreshing thought, Jesus invites us to come and be with Him in a quite place and rest.
Robert Morris, pastor and teacher, said this, "If you have an attitude of stress and worry rather than rest, it's because you don't trust God's character, power and love."
I wrote to Tom Wymore for his insights. I've known Tom for many years, we served together in the Foursquare Gospel denomination and I trust his walk with the Lord. He put it this way, "Rest to me, as I am thinking of it in my post, is an internal thing that grows as we learn to live love (think about that statement), listening and trusting in Abba's love. For me, I know I am living in that place of rest when my heart/inner being is still and peaceful. When that peace and/or stillness goes away, it's a sure sign to me that I am back to striving. Unfortunately, many believers find that their inner noise is so high that they can't tell when they are striving other than by the frantic pace of their life and the anxiety that produces. But Papa has been kind enough to teach me how to live with inner stillness (it's wonderfully quiet in my mind and heart now), and that has become my meter for letting me know whether or not I am resting in God's love, etc. Obviously, actual physical rest and solitude, etc., are part of this as well, but I am talking mostly about an inward state of the heart and mind."
Psalm 37:7, KJV,says, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not..."
Philippians 4: 6 NIV, "Do not be anxious about anything,..."
Mark Charles, Navajo pastor, instructor at Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, wrote in his blog, wirelesshogan, this observation on Psalm 46:10, "Be still..." "...How possible is this in our modern technological world? What does it mean to be still before God? I used to think I understood this but after living for 3 years on the Navajo reservation in a traditional hogan with no electricity or running water, (dirt floor, cooked on a wood stove that was also the only heat source, out house not very close to hogan) no television, no hot showers or washing machines, no microwaves or refrigerators, no public transportation or paved roads leading up to my house, I found there is a level of stillness that I never knew existed.....until we moved to our hogan that is located on a dirt road, six miles off the nearest paved road. The dirt road is pure clay and when it gets wet from rain or snow it is practically impassable. In fact, I have gotten stuck on this road numerous times as I traveled home in the rain. Once I was able to walk home, but another time my family and I had to spend the night in the car. So I have quickly learned that when it rains we do not go out.
"When it rains at our hogan we literally cannot go anywhere, so we sit. We read books, we pray, we spend time as a family. We are still and in that stillness we remember God. When it rains at our hogan we can hear God inviting us, saying, 'Stay her. Don't go anywhere. Be still and know that I am God.' But if our road were paved we probably would not hear God's voice in this way, for the weather would have very little impact on our lives. Even during the rain and snow we could still get in our truck and do what we needed. We could go where we wanted and do as we pleased. We would feel safe and secure thinking God was with us, because look, He has blessed us, the road is paved....We can go about our business....We would never realize that with the pitter patter of the falling rain God was faintly whispering, 'Wait, don't go! Be still and know that I am God.'"
So what have I learned so far in this journey? I am to stop striving, pushing, trying to make things happen, instead, I will be still and trust in the character of God, His love, plans, mercy, provision, grace, and more. I can say with Paul, not that I have already attained to this, but I will continue to look for His hand and listen for His still small voice saying to me, this is the way, walk in it.
Any where there are italics, they are mine to insert or draw attention to something I found interesting.
The owners of this particular hogan have offered to rent it to me. Don't think I haven't considered it.
Thank you for sharing my journey with me. I hope the Lord blesses you as you read my thoughts on this journey. Keep looking into His Word for your guidance and instructions.
Troy
Another thought: In our attempts in the flesh to rest we always seem to have an element of doing something in order to rest.
