Resting in God

Resting in God

Thirty-nine years ago, I was studying at a university when Di sent me this verse from Isaiah

Isaiah 30:15 New International Version

15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust is your strength.

It’s taken me nearly 40 years to fully grasp the depth and the gravity of what Isaiah said in this verse!  I must be a really slow learner! As far as repentance goes, I think I understand how important that is, but that word “rest” I seemed to just gloss over. 

These last few weeks, as I have been studying God’s word, two thoughts have been coming up all the time -” rest in me” and “abide in me”. And I have finally, started to grasp what God is trying to teach me in terms of resting in Him goes. We serve a patient God!

Normally in a situation where I was studying a subject like this, I would typically make a list of things I had to do to find rest in God. And I would jot down all the key points I had to do to find rest in God. They might be points such as

Now if you do what I typically do on this subject of finding rest in God, you’re going in the wrong direction! The minute we start making lists of things we need to do to find rest in God, we are heading off-track! I was one of those people that thought I had to do something to find that rest and peace in God. I had to prayer harder, fast longer, be better. But that’s not the answer. To find rest in God we need to realise that everything has already been done by Jesus. We don’t have to strive to do anything. We just have to receive and trust what He has for us! There is no list of things you have to do or things you have to conform to! 

To have rest in God is be in total submission to God, recognizing the sovereignty of the Father and then to dwell in Him. In other words, to abide in Him. When we rest in God ‘we realize that it is God who engineers our every circumstance and consequently there are no complaints, only unrestrained surrender to Jesus’ (Oswald Chambers).

If we want rest we need to abide in Jesus! Not just when we’re tired- it’s not a moment in time- it’s a dwelling in Him. It’s a way of life!

John 15:5 New King James Version

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

A branch of the vine can do nothing without the vine. If you severely damage or cut off the connection to the vine, the branch withers and dies. To remain healthy all it needs is to do is to abide in the vine. Permanently connected. Everything depends on the vine.

I want to tell you the story of J Hudson Taylor, who was called to the mission field of China in the 1800’s. He was there for 15 years when at the age of 37 he “opened his heart to his mother” in a letter in a most revealing way. And in the letter just showing how inadequate he felt with all his failings and how could he ever please his Saviour being like this. Let me read it to you

“My own position becomes continually more and more responsible, and my need greater of special grace to fill it, but I have to continually mourn that I follow at such a distance and learn to imitate my precious Master. I cannot tell you how I am buffeted sometimes by temptation. I never knew how bad a heart I had. Yet I know I love God and love His work and desire to serve Him in all things……Often I am tempted to think that one so full of sin cannot be a child of God at all… [But] may God help me to love Him more and serve Him better. Do pray for me. Pray that the Lord… will sanctify me wholly and will use me more largely in His service.”

It was a difficult time for Hudson Taylor, feeling that he was just not progressing spiritually. He just wanted to be a better person to please God, how could he please God if he was so full of sin. We can identify with how he felt. He was to stay in China for over 50 years. He brought in about 800 missionaries into the country and is said to directly responsible for over 20,000 conversions to Christianity in the most difficult circumstances. (Read up on him- he went through such difficult times)

He was in contact with another missionary, John McCarthy, who wrote a letter to him that became a turning point in his life. And in a letter to his sister, Hudson Taylor writes this 

“McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before I did write “But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith but by the residing on the Faithful One”

“As I read, I saw it all! “If we believeth not, He abideth faithful” I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh how joy flowed!) that He said, “I will never leave you”- Ah there is rest. I thought “I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I’ll strive no more”

If you think that’s all very well for Hudson Taylor a missionary, but think God has forgotten you then just remember that our Father has you in the palm of His hands, and that you are “ever before Him”! - now you can rest in that!

Isaiah 49:16 New International Version

16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

You may say that’s all very well but how can I rest, when I don’t feel very special, or look very special, or how can I rest when I am going through all this suffering and pain. Just remember Jesus went through the same thing

Isaiah 53:2-7New International Version - UK

2 …..He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

And this is the same Jesus that will be called “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty Prince, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace! And He has said,

Deuteronomy 31:6 New International Version - UK

6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’

And as a last example you may say how can I rest when my health is failing and things are not looking good at all?

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 New International Version - UK

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Keep the word of God close and resting becomes so much easier! Is God not saying in all these examples, don’t worry about these things, don’t fret about anything. In quietness and trust is your strength.

There is a poem that I now keep on my phone that I really like. It was written by a Dr A Simpson called Himself. It typifies resting in God 

Once it was a blessing, now it is the Lord

Once it was a feeling, now it is His Word

Once His gifts I wanted, now the Giver own

Once I sought for healing, now Himself alone


In other words…….

Rather than looking for a blessing…… let your focus be on the Lord

Rather than looking for a feeling …… let your focus be on the Word

Rather than looking for spiritual gifts……. let your focus be on the Giver

Rather than looking for healing…… let your focus be on the Healer

If we’re striving for these things, we are not resting in God


So, let’s look at the nuts and bolts of what is resting in God.


In conclusion I would like to finish on another verse of the poem by Simpson

Once twas busy planning, now tis trustful prayer

Once twas anxious caring, now He has the care

Once twas what I wanted, now what Jesus says

Once twas constant asking, now tis ceaseless praise

So, resting in God, is to abide in Him. It is not dependant on any external circumstance. But it is dependent on you accepting that God is in charge of every circumstance in your life (Prov 16:9), and then trusting that He will never leave or forsake you. “Fear not for I have redeemed you [ past tense!]. I have called you by name and you are mine! (Is 43)– there you have rest!


Amen


(Prov 16:9:. A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps).