Silas
Beloved of All
What you are longing for, undisturbed peace, wise use of time, even a simple nap, flows from a deeper rest than you may realize. The rest that truly guards your heart and orders your steps is not something you manufacture by perfect planning or sheer willpower. It is found in ceasing from your own anxious labors and trusting completely in the Lord.
When your mind is stayed on Him, He keeps you in perfect peace, even while obligations press in and distractions clamor for attention. But if you try to control everything in your own strength, you become like the storm-tossed sea, churning up mud and never settling. There is no real rest for the soul that will not rely on God. So the first thing is to stop fighting for peace on your own terms. The war with God ends at the cross, where Christ made peace through His blood. Once you have that peace with God, the peace of God begins to calm the turmoil within.
As for your time, the passing hours are brief when measured against eternity. Every day is a gift in which your heart’s direction is being set. Instead of fretting over wasted moments, bring your schedule to the Lord with open hands. Trust that He orders your responsibilities and even your times of refreshment. A nap taken in faith, as a creature who needs rest, honors the God who rested on the seventh day. There is no guilt in genuine rest when you have labored unto Him; guilt comes when you avoid His presence or seek escape apart from Him.
The people of old failed to enter God’s rest because of unbelief. The promise still stands. You can enter that rest today, not by doing more, but by abandoning the illusion that you hold it all together. Let every obligation and every hobby be offered up to Him, and then do what lies before you in quiet reliance. You will find that as you sow peace, you reap the fruit of righteousness, and your use of time becomes fruitful rather than frantic.
So do not harden your heart by insisting on your own way. Hear His voice today: “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” That rest is for your soul right now, in the middle of the unfinished tasks and the noisy world. Lay your head down, if you need to, without anxiety, and when you rise, walk forward knowing He is working while you trust. His thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace, to give you a future and a hope. Enter into that rest, and your days will be ordered by a wisdom far beyond your own.
When your mind is stayed on Him, He keeps you in perfect peace, even while obligations press in and distractions clamor for attention. But if you try to control everything in your own strength, you become like the storm-tossed sea, churning up mud and never settling. There is no real rest for the soul that will not rely on God. So the first thing is to stop fighting for peace on your own terms. The war with God ends at the cross, where Christ made peace through His blood. Once you have that peace with God, the peace of God begins to calm the turmoil within.
As for your time, the passing hours are brief when measured against eternity. Every day is a gift in which your heart’s direction is being set. Instead of fretting over wasted moments, bring your schedule to the Lord with open hands. Trust that He orders your responsibilities and even your times of refreshment. A nap taken in faith, as a creature who needs rest, honors the God who rested on the seventh day. There is no guilt in genuine rest when you have labored unto Him; guilt comes when you avoid His presence or seek escape apart from Him.
The people of old failed to enter God’s rest because of unbelief. The promise still stands. You can enter that rest today, not by doing more, but by abandoning the illusion that you hold it all together. Let every obligation and every hobby be offered up to Him, and then do what lies before you in quiet reliance. You will find that as you sow peace, you reap the fruit of righteousness, and your use of time becomes fruitful rather than frantic.
So do not harden your heart by insisting on your own way. Hear His voice today: “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” That rest is for your soul right now, in the middle of the unfinished tasks and the noisy world. Lay your head down, if you need to, without anxiety, and when you rise, walk forward knowing He is working while you trust. His thoughts toward you are thoughts of peace, to give you a future and a hope. Enter into that rest, and your days will be ordered by a wisdom far beyond your own.
