Embrace the Subversive Practice of Rest

When we rest from the hurry up and hustle, we stop asking, “Did I do enough today?” We find grace to receive prayer as relationship without worrying that we did it “right.” We name our sins in the same breath with which we thank God for his forgiveness.

Rest as a Subversive Act

If this sounds subversive to you, you’re not alone, and you’re not the first. When Jesus drew back from the crowds for restorative rest, his disciples all but scolded him, and they interpreted his nap in the stern of a pitching boat on stormy waves as apathy: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38)

Rest in the life of Christ came with a whiff of rebellion. Likewise, when you receive God’s invitation to slow down, you may bump into the expectations of people who enjoyed your productivity or who mean well, but simply don’t understand the specific call of God upon your life.

Remember, God is not opposed to working, only to earning. We may be called to do hard things, but never for the purpose of earning God’s love. All true acts of righteousness come as a response to his great love.

So if you sense a call to fast from some activity, receive it as an invitation to rest from it, to clear the decks, and to make room for something better. If God calls you to give up a meal or a particular food as an act of worship, thank him for the opportunity to rest your body and to focus on feeding your spirit instead.

Rest as an Act of Faith

Isaiah delivered a wistful invitation from God to his restless people:

"For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
'In returning [or repentance] and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.'” (Isaiah 30:15 ESV)

Resting in the reality of God’s faithful protection and his plan for their future was just too big an assignment for Israel. God said “rest,” and they would not, preferring instead to take matters into their own hands.

Are you willing to rest in God’s love for you, to trust in the effectiveness of his salvation? Does YOUR plan of salvation require props that you provide–work that you alone can do? Does it require affirmation from the right people and places?

Hear the word of the Lord:

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 30:18)

Blessings to you as you rest in God’s great provision and delight in his means of grace.