There are days in my life when I simply wish I can drop all things and run away to hide somewhere where no one can find me. At times, when the going gets really tough and more than I can handle, I just wish I can flush all my problems away into the toilet or splash them away into the drain with a pail of water. Then close my eyes and wish that they never come back again. But despite of all these downcast feelings, I still find the strength to move on and to overcome step by step. Of course, the problems in life never disappear forever and got ridden with. They do come back in all forms and shapes but I discover that I can find rest under the wings of God just like Elijah did (1 King 19) and has his strength renewed.
There is a place of rest in the midst of strife, struggles, stress and storms of life. This place of rest has been set aside by God for you and me where we can laid down in the green pastures to feed and regain our strength, to drink from the cool water by the river and never be lack of thirst, and to lay down and rest with no fear of attack. This rest is found in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91). Do you know that in the middle of a tornado, is a place called the Eye. Destructive as a tornado may be, tearing things apart as it moves through the land, in the middle of the tornado is a place of total peace and quietness. When the sea roars and the waves rises above the ocean, the sea underneath the surface is actually calm and peaceful. Just like the middle of the tornado and the ocean floor, there is a place of peace and rest although we may not be protected from the storms of life.
What is this Rest that Jesus talked about?
1. A Rest of Intimacy
This rest of intimacy comes from your relationship with God. Jesus says that His yoke is light and easy to bear. In the field, the farmer will drive two bulls together to plough the land. In order to make the two bulls move together, a yoke consisting of two holders is placed over the two animals. When the farmer drives the older bull in the direction he wants, the other younger bull will have no choice but to follow suit, thus ensuring that both animals move in one direction together. Similarly, when Jesus tells us to put on His yoke and exchange ours with His, it means He will guide us through our storms. To exchange our yoke with His, it means there must be a certain level of trust and intimacy between us and God. In Romans 8, Paul tells us that we have the spirit of adoption and we can call God "Abba Father" which means Daddy. We are the children of God and sealed with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life. Which father on earth does not love his children, protect them and help them? The same goes for God, our Abba Father, and even much more.
2. A Place of Acceptance
This rest is a rest where you cease from strife and stress. It is not necessary for you to prove yourself before men. We find ourselves trying to prove to others and even ourselves how capable we are or even to try to please men to meet their expectations. Let me tell you, you will never find the complete acceptance from men except in God. Maturity is not about having to worry what others think of you and receiving their acceptance. Maturity and confidence are knowing who you are and your identity in God that no matter what others have to say about you, it will never remove God's love for you and Him acknowledging you as His child. Sometimes due to the storms of life, we build walls around ourselves with no gates. It keep others out but the danger is, it also keeps God out. We ended up building a spiritual tomb over ourselves. God is easy to live with. He is our Creator and He knows us even before we were formed in our mother's womb. Do you not think He understands and feels your every thought and emotion? He does. We may not be perfect but He still loves us and this is shown through the death of His only begotten Son.
Maybe the words of God from Isaiah 30:15 will give us the complete assurance for the Lord God Almighty said, "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength". What God said shall never be returned void to Him. His promises are everlasting and true.
Be still and know that I am God….Psalms 46:10
There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities–simply inactivity.
During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is an isolation chamber designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven businessperson. Our nature cries out, “You must do something,” while God is saying, “Be still and know that I am God.” You know the signs that you have been brought into this chamber when He has removed many things from your life and you can’t seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.
Most religious people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot say what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.
Has God brought you to a place of being still? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, the chamber will open soon after.
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