November 2005
You Need To Rest!
Let’s face it: life is a marathon, not a dash. And lately I seem to be coming across people every day who are not pacing themselves!
In this sliver of time that we’re living in before Jesus returns, time seems to be speeding up. Is it just me, or does there never seem to be enough time to do everything? We find ourselves coming and going in a frenzy, wearing ourselves out with everything that “needs doing” in everyday life.
But God never meant for us to be run ragged in this life. I think it’s time we reevaluate and look at what God has to say about this vital topic of rest.
I believe it’s God’s will for you to live a life of balance. When you’re out of balance, you’re less effective in every realm of life. Part of balance is taking care of your body, which includes fueling it well (eating right) and getting sufficient rest.
We can see from the Word of God that rest is a godly principle. Matthew 11:28, 29 AMP says, Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will give you rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.
Ahhhhh…doesn’t that sound good? That’s how God wants you to live, even in this day and age!
And after you read that scripture, I have to ask you, “Are you a doer of the word, or just a hearer only?” James 1:22 says that if you just hear these things God has commanded and don’t do them, you deceive your own self. You don’t even need the devil’s help! Agh!
I believe many of us have deceived ourselves into thinking that we don’t need rest. Or we can’t afford it (don’t have time for it). Or we don’t deserve it. But I don’t find that in the Word. Instead, I find God commanding us to rest and encouraging us to let HIM carry our load. The earth will not stop spinning on its axis if you stop to rest on a regular basis.
Let’s look at God’s example. He rested after creating the earth (Gen. 2:2). More than once we see Jesus withdrawing from the crowds and taking time to rest in the presence of God, in spite of the great needs that clamored all around Him (Matt. 14:23, Mark 1:35, 6:31). In a boat during a storm, we see Him sleeping, resting and completely trusting God (Mark 4:38).
It also interests me that in John 5, Jesus was at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath (the day of rest), and the Bible says there were many sick people there. But He just healed one lame man and left!
Jesus had a flesh body just like you and I do, and He knew it needed rest. Apparently there were times when He didn’t stay for hours in a place, wearing Himself out trying to meet all the needs. He simply left and trusted God.
If Jesus left some things undone to trust or seek God, or He rested in the midst of a crisis, then you can too. It’s okay to rest and pace yourself. It’s not lazy or selfish, it’s wise. For one thing, tired people often make wrong decisions and choices. Tired people can’t always hear from God when they need to, and the anointing doesn’t flow as well through them to minister to others.
You may think you don’t have time to rest because “things need doing, people need your help, or there’s no one else to do it.” But in the long run if you break down your health, how much use will you be to people, and how much will you be able to get done? You could end up taking a lot more time to recuperate than if you’d just paced yourself in the first place.
Your body needs rest. God designed it that way. So I encourage you to study the Word on rest and see if you can bring your life into balance by pacing yourself and resting. In the long run, it can be more of a blessing to both yourself and those around you!
