‘My Presence will go with you and I will give you REST’ (Exodus 33:14)
Permit me to begin this conversation by asking you some questions.
Do you think it would be possible to be at rest in the midst of ‘office politics’ trouble? How about in the midst of financial trouble? Can a person be at rest while dealing with health issues? Or do you know anyone who will be in a blissful place when faced with marriage problems?
Perhaps the scripture at the beginning of this article has given the game away but if you responded quickly to all my questions above by saying ‘Yes, God can give one rest (peace) EVEN in the midst of all these issues.You are right but only partially. How come?
You just gave me half of the answer because I honestly believe God does much more than GIVE us rest in the midst of life’s troubles. I have come to learn that the only reason we can TRULY sleep when the wind howls is not JUST because God gives us peace. No, there is much more to it than that. God does not just give us rest. HE IS OUR REST! He does not just give us peace. He isour Peace! HIS PRESENCE in our lives is what gives us TRUE rest and enables us sleep even when the rough winds blow! Isn’t that just wonderful to know?
I think so, and this is why for me, Rest means having God’s presence with me. It means to be in the centre of His will; walking in ways that please Him. Rest is where I am when I know my walk with Christ is on point.
Why do I say this? Here is my reason. You see, when that is not the case; when I know deep within me that I have gone off track in my Christian walk, no matter how ‘peaceful’ my life may be, I am NOT ‘at rest’. I doubt any true Christian can be; to be honest. For me, the place I most want to be at rest is in my head. In my heart. And being in a good place with God is what gives me this peace. Regardless of what is going on around me.
When one is ‘tight’ with God, His presence is with us and in his presence, along with the fullness of joy and riches for evermore is REST.
You see that is what I believe God was saying in the scripture above. The rest He was assuring the Children of Israel ofwas based on His Presence going with them. And if we believe that God is Holy then we know that His presence cannot go with anyone who is not walking in holiness. God will continue to help us all.
I know our walk is not by works but by faith and I know that Christ has paid the price for my sins so there is nothing I can do to ‘buy’ my holiness and therefore my rest. BUT I also know that God asks me to be holy ‘as He is holy’. I believe He asks us to be holy because He knows we canbe holy!
So what is the bottom line of all that I am saying? If you agree with me that TRUE Rest only exists in the Presence of God; when we are walking with God, then it means you agree that we must do all we can to ensure that our lives are holy and pleasing to Him.
For you see, though the Bible tells us that God is always with us and never forsakes us, there is something that has been planted in our psyches as Christians. The moment we fall we immediately try to hide from God. He is not the one that leaves us. We are the ones that, like Adam and Eve, hide and cover the shame of our sin. Do you think that they were ‘at rest’ behind the bushes where they were hiding? No, and we cannot be either.
To enjoy true divine peace, therefore, seek to dwell in God’s Manifest Presence every moment of every day. For my dear one, the truth is that where God is, there is TRUE Rest. The kind of rest you enjoy that makes it possible to sleep even when the wind howls. In times like the ones we face today, I am so grateful I can say that God is my rest! Praise His name!