Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands,let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
Have you ever considered what it means to enter the rest of God?
Maybe we think God’s rest is like a gas station, rest-stop where we pull off on our journey of life, pump some gas into our vehicle, grab some grub for the road, use the rest room quickly if needed, then get back on the road as soon as possible?
I feel the Lord is saying that we are entering into a season where it’s important to make sure that we have regular rest-stops, and that he’s provided a way for us to do so and recently had a dream that illustrates this idea well.
The Dream
In the dream I had pulled off the road at a gas station, rest-stop that I knew to be fantastic. Going inside I saw that there were numerous tables and chairs for people to sit around, eat, talk, and some were doing that, but most travelers were grabbing some quick junk food, going directly to the counter where there was a long line of people waiting to pay and go.
Seeing a friend, I pointed out the whole restaurant side of the counter telling him he could order real food, sit down, rest, and connect with others before finally getting back out on the road. In fact, he could skip the long line by going right to the front, ordering and the food would be out ASAP. My friend was blown away to realize he didn’t have to just grab junk and go but could be served a full course meal, take his time to enjoy it and talk with others, then go back out refreshed, satisfied, and ready for the next leg of his journey.
Is Rest a Quick-fix, or Something More?
Like most of the people in this dream, I wonder if generally we think of rest as a quick-fix to take care of necessities such as fueling up our vocations that we’re responsible for (gas in our car), all so we can keep going, going, going? As I think about ideas like this, I love to go to my user manual and read what the bible has to say about rest.
Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
Out of all the times the bible tells us “Do not fear,” the topic of rest is one of the few times the bible admonishes us to fear saying, “let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.” You see rest is not just about cleansing, fueling, and keeping on going on our journey on the path of life. Rest is about faith in God’s promises, that he’s our Provider and will do more than we could ask, think, hope, or want, which allows us to take the to the time to slow down, eat, and spend time with both God and others. This is important!
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” — Alan Cohen
Work is wonderful and a blessing, but if at any point it replaces the reason for which we were created, which is intimacy with God and others, then we’re missing the mark God intends for us. I challenge you this week to intentionally enter God’s rest, by doing the following…
- Slow down, not only to get fuel to get back out on the road to do our vocation, but to intentionally connect with God,
- Find someone else to connect to for the pure enjoyment of their relationship
- By faith eat from the rich bounty that God has provided, trusting that God is faithful to provide what we will need in the future.
Go with God.
David Sr.