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Return to Top Most of us move much
too fast in efforts to live fulfilling lives. We become exhausted and burnt
out, unable to fulfill God’s will for us.
God has designed us in
such a way that we require rest and reflection, a refilling of our vessels. Psalms
46:10 commands us, "Be still, and know that I am
God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Without this stepping back from the daily ‘rat race’, things begin to fall
apart at the seams, and we end up empty and unable to be used fully for His
glory.
REST MAKES US SHARPER AND MORE EFFICIENT
One of the mysteries of
life is the principle that regular periods of rest will make us more focused,
and will energize us to do more, sometimes in less time than if we were to go
at things non-stop for long periods of time.
One man challenged
another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard,
stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and
took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was
surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially
more wood than he had.
"I don't get
it," he said. "Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you
chopped more wood than I did."
"But you didn't
notice," said the winning woodsman, "that I
was sharpening my ax when I sat down to rest."
Ecclesiastes 10:10
If the ax is dull and
its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success. (NIV)
REST HEALS DEPRESSION AND GIVES STRENGTH
The prophet Elijah had
so overworked himself against the prophets of Baal and Asherah
that in his exhaustion he lost sight of the rescuing power of the Lord. As a result,
he became discouraged and weak.
I Kings 19:1-8
1 Now
Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the
prophets
with the sword.
2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah
to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this
time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his
life. When he came to
4 while he himself went a day's journey
into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he
might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I
am no better than my ancestors."
5 Then he lay
down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said,
"Get up and eat."
6 He looked around, and there by his
head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and
drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the LORD came back a
second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is
too much for you."
8 So he got up and ate and drank.
Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he
reached Horeb, the
REST HELPS YOU GAIN PERSPECTIVE
Your challenges may not be as daunting as they
seem. You may just be a little too close up on them. These are the words of
Leonardo da Vinci:
Every now and then go
away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your
judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to
lose power of judgment. Go some distance away because then the work appears
smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony or
proportion is more readily seen."
Da
Vinci excelled as a painter, sculptor, poet, architect, engineer, city planner,
scientist, inventor, anatomist, military genius, and philosopher.
God wants His people to
be sharp, efficient, encouraged, strong, and focused. Entering into a resting
relationship with God is just the prescription you need.
Hebrews 4:10-11
10 for anyone who enters God's rest also
rests from his own work, just as God did from his.
11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to
enter into that rest. (NIV)