The Great Enemy of Rest

May 9 2023 - Eric Buresh

The Great Enemy of Rest 

Find this song, listen, relax. You are seen, known, and loved by the Father! His children are at rest. True rest. How rare, how beautiful. Our good for His glory.

Are you resting today? Let me give you a definition before you answer. I’m not talking about whether you are tired. We all get tired every day. That’s just a biological fact. We start the day with a certain amount of energy, we burn that energy in our efforts throughout the day, we’re tired at the end, and we go to sleep to recharge our energy level for the next day. God designed this cycle of work and rest, and it is good. Ecclesiastes 5:12 (“The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much.”). We should work and be tired at the end of the day – that’s not the questions I’m posing.   

I’m borrowing from an old KJV dictionary definition that I think captures well the meaning I have in mind: “Quiet; a state free from disturbance; a state of peace; of the mind, when it ceases to be disturbed or agitated.” And this inner state really has little to do with our outward circumstances. I have noticed there are times where I will be insanely busy and feel completely at rest, and I have noticed there are times where I’m taking it easy, and I feel agitated and disturbed. So, what I’m really asking is whether, regardless of anything going on around you, are you in a state of quiet peace in your mind and heart, or are you disturbed or agitated? 

As believers, we have the secret to rest. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29. When I’m in the yoke with the Holy Spirit and sensitively following His leading, I am at rest no matter what is going on in my day. When I’m running my own show, making my own plans, following my own wisdom, I quickly find myself back in an impatient, agitated, tired and frustrated state. I am not at rest. 

Why would I, or why would we, take our own exhausting path when rest is so sweet? Here’s the main point of this post and something that has been super valuable in my life: The great enemy of rest is unbelief. We don’t dependently trust God. It’s that simple. That is why we are not at rest. In Hebrews 3:7-4:11, God gives us a little backstory of the children of Israel. His point, through the writer of Hebrews, is that Israel did not enter their rest (the promise land) because of their unbelief. (vs. 19). Similarly, He instructs that our unbelief prevents our rest. What are we to believe so that we can be at rest in God through Christ? When I’m struggling with rest, I remind myself of this simple list: 

• God is always and totally in control over every detail that happens everywhere. 
• God has a detailed plan for me that He is bringing about by His infinite power. 
• God’s plan for me is for my ultimate good and better than any plan of my own. 

So, I follow His lead totally, I trust Him dependently, and I am fully at rest. Quiet in the storm, free from disturbance or agitation. “So, I’ll rest right here with You.” Thank you, Father!