The Ten Commandments: Devotions From Time Of GraceSample

The Third Commandment: Resting Is A Work Of Faith  

Give a one-year-old a toy drum and that child will keep banging. Nonstop. Until Mom or Dad can’t take it anymore and attempt to pull the drum away. “WHAAAAAAA!” the little one screams. That child can’t handle the idea of losing this new noisemaker. It gives such pleasure to hear the noise their little hands can create. Instant gratification.

Some things never change. Even adults struggle with silence. Being alone with myself can feel scary. There’s nothing to distract me from facing the real me. My real fears. My real feelings. 

So I cover it all up by binging on Facebook or getting lost in working so much that my head spins. It becomes an addictive pleasure to hear the noise I create, like a little one-year-old with a drum.

In the Third Commandment, God calls us to rest. “I want you to give me the drum, the Facebook login, the overtime schedule, the noise. Give it to me.” “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). 

God has so many promises, if we could only hear them without all the noise. So repent and press the mute button. Don’t be afraid of rest. Your to-do list doesn’t surprise or scare God. He can handle it, but first he wants you to pause for his reassuring Word.

Sometimes God takes the drum away so that we stop making noise and start listening to his promises.