Rest
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint…”
Isaiah 40:31
Here we are…the launch of summer; our world’s invitation to slow down, to pause, to renew and to refresh. Do we buy into that? I suspect we want to, but do we realize that we need to rest – that, in fact, it is a command from God?
My mentor, the late John Claypool, used to say that, of the Ten Commandments, the one most often broken was the fourth: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it Holy…Six Days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God — On it, you shall not do any work.“ (Exodus 10:8-10)
Do you know the word “stress” as we know it did not appear in the dictionary until after 1950? An endocrinologist from Canada coined the word and wrote a book about it, and how “stress” affects our health and our bodies. Amazing! We did not even talk about stress before 1950! And then, suddenly, everyone was talking about it. I suspect you cannot find anyone over the age of 12 who is unable to describe the qualities of stress because — well — our culture has inundated us with it.
Consider this:
- After sleeping and work, the primary activity most adults invest their time in is watching television – an average of more than four hours each day.
- On average, Americans check their cell phones 344 times per day, about once every four minutes.
- The average American spends seven hours and four minutes looking at a computer screen every day.
- Between radio, television, computer pop-ups and billboards, the average American sees or hears between 4,000 and 10,000 advertisements each day.
That is a lot filling up our brains. There are so many things screaming for attention. To that, our Lord utters an ancient command: “Be still … and know that I am God …” (Psalm 46:10)
Yet, we push back against being still, don’t we? In fact, sometimes we even think our faith pushes us to do more than we feel capable of doing. You may even have had Christian friends quote Paul’s words to the Philippians to you, “Remember…what the Bible tells us… 'I can do all things…!'” (Philippians 4:13)
If I am honest, I know there are a LOT of things I cannot do. For instance, I cannot be an astronaut; I cannot be a ballerina; I cannot shoot hoops like Golden State Warrior Steven Curry or play baseball like Jose Altuve.
I can workout with weights, but I cannot deadlift 500 pounds; I cannot have a baby; I cannot go without water for six months.
There are a LOT of things I cannot do… and it was never God’s intention that we take on more than what we were uniquely created to do. What Paul wrote was this, “I can do all things… through Christ Who strengthens me…”
So, how do we know what to do and what not to do? How much to take on and what not to take on? When to go the extra while and when to hang back?
We can better answer all those questions…when we rest. Isaiah provides a prescription for the worn-out, the exhausted, the weary and stressed: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Of course, it is not that easy…there are so many things to consider when combating stress in our lives: exercise, eating habits, financial and relational challenges and so it goes.
Yet, God’s medicine to begin to put the weighed down soul in a better place is to rest…to stop the noise…to spend time with Him – in prayer, in meditation, in reading His word, in worship.
Do that, and I promise that you will begin to feel the weight of the world rest where it should – on His shoulders, not yours.
So, friends…summer is here – time to rest, time to honor the Sabbath, time to be still, and time to know God. What better gift to give ourselves in what should be the lazy days of summer?
A Prayer:
“O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of refreshment and peace; and grant that we may so use our leisure to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds, that our spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”[1]
[1] "The Book of Common Prayer," p. 825.
