There is a direct link between trust and rest. When I finally decide to lay down on top of my bed at night, I am trusting the structure to hold me. I would not be able to completely relax if, with every turn and movement through the night (which are often and many) I were afraid the bed frame would collapse and I would end up on the floor.
In order to truly rest, we must trust.
Last week in our Bible study time we worked through one of the sermons Peter delivered in Jerusalem in the beginning days of the Christian church. In the third chapter of the book of Acts, we find Peter and John standing in the outer courts of the temple, calling people to repent and turn to God.
Peter offers two very powerful motivations to repentance. The first is that when we repent of our sins and turn to God, our sins are wiped out – blotted out – discarded – covered over! All the poor choices and mistakes, all the willful disobedience – all of it – forgiven.
But the second motivation Peter offers for repentance is that by confessing our sins, repenting and trusting God, we will receive “times of refreshing” from the Lord. The ASV translation clarifies that this “refreshing” comes from “the presence of the Lord.”
I don’t know about you but refreshment and renewal that comes from being in the very presence of God sounds pretty good to me!
What are you trusting God with today? Do you need a little rest and refreshment?
Whatever you are carrying today, God is big enough to handle it! Simply trust and experience his refreshment!
Be blessed with rest today.
The reminder I take from this passage is that God pursues us. He stands “all day long” with hands outstretched waiting for us to notice. But so often we are lost in our own pursuits. We are distracted by our own imaginations. I even fear that humanity has a tendency to take God-given talents and use them to create a false sense of independence.
No more fear!
I got in on a game of Gaga Ball and got to eat camp food and go to worship with the group before heading back last night. The games were fun and the speaker was great but what impacted me the most was getting to watch our kids worship. So often, I fear kids do not feel part of what happens in corporate worship on Sunday mornings. I was moved to hear kids singing with open hearts.
I had a friend send this picture to me yesterday. As you can see, I am not sure the person used the sun visor properly – so either some training in proper use of this particular sun visor would be in order or someone needs to call the police.
What a beautiful picture of home. Finding complete contentment and security in the love that Jesus has for you!
There is truth in this statement. We are bombarded with options every day – pulled in multiple directions to make decisions regarding everything from what shoes to wear to what car to drive to what music to enjoy. The truth is, it would be easy to make thousands of decisions in a day without once considering truly important issues.
Clay in the Hands 