Liturgy for Life : WK 2 - THU
Attitude Of Rest
Isaiah 30:15
This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
We have spent time so far this week talking about why we rest, the source, the frequency, and the discipline needed to stop. Today our text reminds us of two important truths that round out how we view the practice of rest we are called to.
Firstly, the call to return to rest is a call of grace. You may find yourself having good rhythms in your life, and next thing you know you fall behind at work, or some unexpected situation arises, and now your caught in the spiral of life. There is always work to do, always entertainment to take part in, always more things asking you to “spend time here.” And just like that we have made time for other things and lost our rhythm of rest. It has happened in my life again and again. Isaiah gently calls us in these moments to return. That when we rest in God, we are saved. So if you ever look at your calendar and see it filled to the max, don’t beat yourself up. Set time to rest, and return to a rhythm walking alongside Jesus. Jesus is always calling us to return to him, especially when we feel weary or have heavy burdens.
Secondly, Isaiah gives us a good guideline on the attitude of rest. We are to do it in quietness and confidence. Quietness by letting time stop, letting our mind and heart slow down, and physically allowing silence to reign. These are the moments where we can get glimpses of God’s calling and direction, when all distractions and stresses are hushed. This is by no means easy, but we can build are quietness muscles, so that rest becomes a habit our body can more easily fall into. Confidence is key because it allows us to stop without guilt. We have confidence that Jesus saves us, that his work is enough, that if we choose to rest everything will not fall apart. We also have confidence that Jesus delivers his promise. That by resting, Jesus is able to grow new and better fruit in our life, that by resting, we are investing in the future. But hasn’t it always been that way, Jesus doing all the work and us trusting in him?
Isaiah 30:15
This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
We have spent time so far this week talking about why we rest, the source, the frequency, and the discipline needed to stop. Today our text reminds us of two important truths that round out how we view the practice of rest we are called to.
Firstly, the call to return to rest is a call of grace. You may find yourself having good rhythms in your life, and next thing you know you fall behind at work, or some unexpected situation arises, and now your caught in the spiral of life. There is always work to do, always entertainment to take part in, always more things asking you to “spend time here.” And just like that we have made time for other things and lost our rhythm of rest. It has happened in my life again and again. Isaiah gently calls us in these moments to return. That when we rest in God, we are saved. So if you ever look at your calendar and see it filled to the max, don’t beat yourself up. Set time to rest, and return to a rhythm walking alongside Jesus. Jesus is always calling us to return to him, especially when we feel weary or have heavy burdens.
Secondly, Isaiah gives us a good guideline on the attitude of rest. We are to do it in quietness and confidence. Quietness by letting time stop, letting our mind and heart slow down, and physically allowing silence to reign. These are the moments where we can get glimpses of God’s calling and direction, when all distractions and stresses are hushed. This is by no means easy, but we can build are quietness muscles, so that rest becomes a habit our body can more easily fall into. Confidence is key because it allows us to stop without guilt. We have confidence that Jesus saves us, that his work is enough, that if we choose to rest everything will not fall apart. We also have confidence that Jesus delivers his promise. That by resting, Jesus is able to grow new and better fruit in our life, that by resting, we are investing in the future. But hasn’t it always been that way, Jesus doing all the work and us trusting in him?
- What do you need more of in your life, quietness or confidence? Ask Jesus to give you what you need.
- Maybe you haven’t turned to Jesus in a while. Why don’t you take some time to do that today?
No Comments