September 4, 2023
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
-Psalm 62:5
I have had the pleasure of taking some long journeys on my motorcycle, and I have others planned in the future. One of the most exciting things about setting off on one of these long journeys is the solitude, the freedom, and the indescribable joy of being out on the open road feeling yourself immersed in the world, rather than merely passing through the world. It is truly a feeling like no other. You never really know what you will encounter along the way, or who you may meet, and all of that adds to the anticipation and the excitement of the trip. It may be an unexpected storm on some Alabama backroad, or it could be some breathtaking sight that just moves you in a powerful way. Of course there is always great food and fellowship as the miles tick by but there is one other aspect of the journey that ranks right up there with all of the excitement that surrounds any trip and that is pulling into the hotel or campground for the night and just taking some time to rest, reflect on the day, and recharge for the next leg of the journey.
Rest is vital to a successful trip, that time of rest gives us the opportunity to prepare to endure another day that will surely be filled with new, and unexpected adventures. Even if you don’t ride a motorcycle and experience these adventures from this perspective, you still find that you need rest. Rest from the day, rest from the stresses of life, no matter what the situation. We are not built to live in a constant state of stress and restlessness, God desires for us to rest and to recharge. God desires us to rest in Him, to seek peace and comfort in Him. Jesus tells us, in the gospel of Matthew:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
-Matthew 11:28-30
Every one of us labors in some way, each and every day, not just in our jobs but in every avenue of our lives. We work on our personal relationships with those around us, we work at our marriages, we work within our families, we constantly labor. We also all bear burdens, or as Jesus said it we are “heavy laden.” We battle sin constantly, we shoulder private burdens that take a toll on us and leave us weary and tired. God wants us to surrender these burdens to Him and for us to put our faith, hope, and trust in Him that we will find rest, not only physical rest but spiritual rest as well. Some of us feel that sense of unease because we know our relationship with the Lord is not what it should be, that is our spirit crying out to us for rest and it is a rest that only God can provide, it is a rest that calms the darkest and most powerful storms of our lives. All we must do is surrender to Him. A similar sentiment was revealed to the prophet Isaiah:
“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
‘In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling,”
-Isaiah 30:15
Far too often, we are unwilling, just as Isaiah says. We think we can do it ourselves, a stubborn trait that I am guilty of from time to time. It is hard to surrender, it is an unnatural feeling to trust in someone else to care for us, but our frame of reference is mankind and we know that mankind is flawed and imperfect, even those who truly try their best in every aspect of their lives, eventually they will let you down and this makes us inherently distrustful. However, God, and God alone is perfect and holy, only He is worthy of our trust and our praise. We can turn to Him and we can find peace and comfort in His love and mercy. This requires faith, and only by grace through faith are we saved. Remember that sense of unease I mentioned earlier, our need for spiritual rest, David was aware of this need when he penned these lines in the 62nd Psalm:
“For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.”
-Psalm 62:1
Our soul needs rest, I know it and you know it. Some of us are waging an internal war against what we know we need and what we think we need or what we think is best for us. When we find rest and peace in the Lord, our lives take on a new direction and hope and joy spring forth even in the face of some of the darker days. Remember, salvation doesn’t mean our lives are any easier, it just means we have a promise of a future where the torments of this world will never touch us again. We can trust in Him and we can take His word to heart, we will find rest. I will leave you with these words from Christ, as spoken to His disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
-John 14:27
