God calls his people to rest

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(This blog post is from my 4/5/24 newsletter)


I've written about rest before, and I can't stress how important it is that we not only rest our bodies but also our minds. Over and over again in scripture, God makes rest a priority for his people. On the seventh day of creation in Genesis 2:2-3, God set the example, and Jesus did as well in the New Testament. Often the times that Jesus withdrew, scripture mentions it was to pray (Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12-13; Mark 1:35; Matthew 14:13, 23). We see in Matthew 4: 2 (Mark 1:12, 13; Luke 4:1-13) that Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days to fast. We should note that he was tempted at the end of this period.

Jesus' temptation in the wilderness is something we should all become familiar with as Christians. It is often when we feel the closest to God or everything seems to be going in a positive direction with our spiritual walk, that we are hit with spiritual warfare. We may not have Satan literally dangling promises of much needed things in front of us, or maybe we do. He promised Jesus food when he'd not eaten for forty days, he tempted Jesus to prove Himself by throwing Himself off of the temple, and he tempted Jesus with power over all the kingdoms of the world if He would bow down to Satan in worship.

With the second temptation, Satan twisted scripture (a reminder of how he worked twisting God's words in the garden of Eden). With all of the temptations, Jesus countered with actual scripture. Though Jesus was surely weak and exhausted from his fast, He held fast to the hope that was before Him. Remember Jesus is fully God and fully man. He felt hunger and all that goes with it. Drawing near to God was His priority.

We can be thankful that Jesus did all of that for us. Ultimately He was looking towards the perfect timing of the cross. We can also learn from His example how important it is to be steeped in the scripture so that we are prepared for spiritual attacks. If we are fervently serving the Lord, we will come under attack. This should be no surprise. In John 15:20 Jesus said, "Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours."

This is a great verse that says it all: 1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Another thing I want to point out is that if you are under spiritual attack, find other believers whom you can share with. They can be an encouragement and help you refocus when things seem like more than you can bear. God made us the body of Christ and we are intended to work together. Additionally, there may be times when you need to seek professional help. Look for Christian counselors who will guide you to God and not away from Him as they help you through whatever is pressing on you.

And finally, you are always welcome to share your burdens with me for prayer and encouragement. 

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