Discovering God's Secret PlacesSample

Our Sabbath Rest

As followers of Christ, we need a biblical theology of rest as much as we need a biblical theology of work. Unfortunately, this is an often overlooked but crucial aspect of our spiritual lives. There comes a point when a Christian’s work can become an unhealthy striving. 

Christians from western cultures don’t need anyone to encourage them to work hard. During many years of cross-cultural ministry in Asia, I have seen much work that comes from self-striving and have often caught myself perpetuating this ungodly rhythm as I seek to serve Him. 

In Genesis 2, we see that on the 7th day, God rested from all the work He had done. In fact, verse 2 repeats the same phrase twice, saying that God “ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” In Asian languages this repetition is a way to amplify something that is to be emphasized. God created the Sabbath for a reason, and He Himself rested. Indeed, the first full day of Adam and Eve’s life was a Sabbath day of rest. And something more – God is still resting, even though He is working.

Jesus was never driven along by His own striving or an unhealthy focus on performance. He had a natural rhythm wherein He was able to work out a place of continual rest. How different from much of what we see in His kingdom work on earth, where too often His frenzied followers are running themselves ragged on a spiritual hamster wheel as they strive to “serve God.” In Matthew chapter 11, Jesus invited us to come to Him, and He would give us rest – a yoke that was easy and well-fitting. In Him we can find “rest for our souls.”

Hebrews 4 verses 9-10 contains an important key if we pay attention - we can enter into God’s rest even now. This promise means we can cease from the spiritual striving, generated by an insecurity about God’s ability to keep us safe and fruitful even under the most difficult circumstances. In this way we can even now enter into God’s everlasting joy, which can only be enjoyed in His presence. 

Finally, the last part of Psalm 95 speaks of the Israelites hardening their hearts and not entering into God’s rest. This is not talking about entering the promised land, for David wrote this hundreds of years after the events of Exodus 17. David invites us to enter into God’s rest —today!

o Praise God that …

We can cease from striving in our flesh because Jesus has finished the work He came to do and offers us to rest in Him.
 

o Pray that…

You would find true rest for your soul in the Secret Place, and that you would continually go there to rest in God and work out of that rest.