We all have challenges in life. Even if everything is going well, all we have to do is watch the news for thirty seconds to find plenty of things to stress about, worry over, or make us depressed. Technology gives us a front row seat to the problems of the world.
In spite of the circumstances of life, we can live in God’s rest because of Jesus. Jesus has accomplished everything required to give us new life in His grace. We don’t have to be perfect to live in God’s plan for us; we simply have to put our faith in Him and in what He has done. Though we attempt to obey Him, He loves us in spite of our imperfections.
Can we really live in God’s rest? If the Bible says we can, then we can.
Does the Bible say we can? Yes it surely does.
The Bible is for everyone on the planet. It is the Word of God and no matter where we live or what our lives look like, we can delve into the Scriptures and know they apply to each one of us.
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”
Hebrews 4:9-11 (NKJV)
God’s rest is still for us today, but verse 11 tells us we have to be diligent to enter the rest. It’s not an automatic thing we fall into. We literally have to work to rest. If we live on auto-pilot, we will find ourselves experiencing the stress of the world. So how do we go about finding God’s rest?
We give our worries to God.
“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”
1 Peter 5:7 (AMP)
We trust in the Lord and keep our thoughts on Him.
“You will keep in perfect peace, all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
We choose to live in the peace Jesus left for us.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
John 14:27 (NLT)
As we spend time in His Word, we will be changed from the inside out, and we will find ourselves in God’s peace.
God’s rest is available to us but we must accept it for ourselves.