“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

Bouncing Back    

Of the five surgeries I’ve had while Floyd has been sick, this has been the hardest one for me to recover from. I’m just not “bouncing back” very quickly. I have lots of things that need my time and attention, but I just don’t have the strength and energy to address them.

So often in the different “seasons” of this unexpected journey, God teaches me new lessons. I’ve been feeling that He wants to do that in this season. The overwhelming impression I’ve had is that I need to rest—and that my rest is worship to Him. That is special to me because worship has been such a key part of my surviving on this journey.

The Bible talks a lot about rest. God rested after His days of creation. Jesus took time out from the crowds to rest and spend time with the Father. The prophets of old often went into the desert to rest and hear from God. God, of course, commands us to take a sabbath rest from our work and labor.

But the busyness of our world is so counter to that. Rest is often looked upon as a luxury, not an essential. We are under pressure to achieve, to produce. Even in my weakened state, I feel the pressure of “doing” all the things that are calling for my attention.

I’ve been attempting to change my mindset, my expectations. I’m daily choosing rest—asking Him if there is something I’m supposed to do. I’m finding fresh intimacy with Him. I’m worshipping Him as I look at the beauty of His creation. I’m spending time just “being” in His presence. I don’t know the implications of this for the long term, but I am worshipping Him in rest right now.

Andrea Thompson says in her blog that “rest in itself is an act of worship because it is surrender. We are surrendering to God and laying our lives before Him. It is an act of trust when we set aside everything we know to do and place it before God.”

Even in creation when God created man and woman on the sixth day, He didn’t put them right to work. He gave them a day of rest.   think we might have been inclined to give them a list of everything they needed to do in tending the Garden of Eden. Maybe there is something for us to learn from that!

The world might want us to think that rest is a sign of weakness in our busy go, go, go world! But it’s not—it’s a choice of strength! It’s easy to give in to the pressures. It takes great strength to stop and take time to rest.

I should point out that we often face weariness in our fast-paced world. God understands that. He doesn’t despise our weariness, even though the world may look down upon it, even pity it. God reaches out to us and gives fresh strength. After all, Jesus lived on this earth and walked in our shoes. He understands the things we face. He gives grace and help.

“Father, we surrender to You in rest. Amen.”