The Hard Work of Rest
This Summer, we had the awesome opportunity to bring our grand-daughter, Hananiah (Hani), on her very first vacation. We brought her to one of our favorite beach spots.
Being on vacation with Hani was SO MUCH FUN! She loved having all of us together under one roof. She loved everyone playing with her at the pool and beach. She would play until she literally could not go anymore. She would get so exhausted and tired that she would start to get emotional about every little thing. When she would start whining, we knew that it was time for a nap. She needed to REST! I noticed that when she gets too tired, she fights her sleep and wants to just keep going. Even though nothing satisfies her and nothing gives her peace, she just refuses to stop and rest.
Recently, The Lord told me, “Adults are the same way. Most moody, irrational, and overly emotional adults are truly just exhausted and in need of rest, but they are fighting it. Adults grow up and feel that they no longer see the need for rest. They fight it and give different names for what the problem is when, truly, nothing has really changed. They simply need to learn when it’s time to rest.”
This hit me like a ton of bricks.
We are better and sharper when we are rested. We hear and understand direction and directives with such clarity.
I couldn’t help but think about Elijah and how exhausted he must have been when Jezebel threatened him in 1 Kings chapter 19. He had dealt with her for years; her manipulation, her rebellion, her desire to have him killed, but her threats hit him in a different way while he was exhausted. His exhaustion affected his hearing, his sight, and his imagination. It caused him to become overly emotional and even whiney.
In 1 King 19 verse 3, it says that Elijah began to see what Jezebel was saying. His exhaustion caused his imagination to lean into her threats and her hatred for him, causing fear to rise up within him. In that moment, it didn’t matter how many amazing and powerful things that he not only watched God do, but things that he did WITH God! All of those things were a distant memory in the midst of his exhaustion-fueled condition of fear. Read that again.
Exhaustion is an open door to fear, and fear stops you from having power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Jezebel was declaring war against Elijah, and the one thing that Elijah needed to do in order to win was rest in God’s faithfulness. He needed to stop all of the running and the “doing,” and he needed to just remind himself of how faithful God had been.
Isn’t it that way for us all? In the midst of great spiritual warfare, we are tempted to wear ourselves out instead of entering into rest? I love what Leif Hetland says about learning to rest. He says that you have authority over any storm that you are able to rest in. Just like Jesus did in Matthew chapter 8. He was resting because He understood that even the wind and waves are subject to His authority. Leif calls learning to rest “the hard work of rest” because most times in life, it’s much easier to strive in our own strength rather than to simply rest in Father God’s love and authority.
Like Hani, we often feel like every moment of our day must be filled with something. If you’re in the midst of a battle or great attack… if you’ve been emotional and making emotionally-charged, fear-based decisions…if you’ve found yourself hiding out instead of just leading and living large with Jesus, then I encourage you to enter into the hard work of rest!
Resting in Jesus will recharge your faith and revitalize your strength.
The truth that you must remember is that we live in victory and fight from victory when we learn to rest in Jesus, in His might, in His strength, in His ability, and in His authority. This is your reminder to rest and to win! It’s your season of victory!