Take Shelter under the Umbrella
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Who gets to rest? Those who lay aside the ways of the world, which so effectively tempt us to buy in and sell out, to walk in the way of the Lord. Surrender to Jesus as our Savior allows us to rest. That’s who gets to rest, both here and now and forever eternally. Here on earth, rest may sometimes look akin to survival rather than a nap in a peaceful meadow. Nevertheless, we feel His presence and power moving in and through our lives, so we may rest in the Lord, Author of our souls and Father of our hearts.
“Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall” (Hebrews 4:8-11).
Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised land 40 years after they departed Egypt. It should have taken less than two weeks to arrive. Moses’ disobedience caused him to miss out on entering the promised land with his people. As Joshua led God’s people into the peace they had been promised and anticipated for decades, the author of Hebrews reminds us it was only a deposit on the rest which would later come. Rest, which we find in Jesus. And moreover, the rest we will experience in heaven eternally, and when He comes again.
Nobody earns the right to rest. We lay down our rights to follow the will of God for our lives. Jesus fulfilled the requirement for rest, once and for all. Levels of faith died with Jesus on the cross. No matter the amount of time since we surrendered our lives to Jesus, we will all greet Him eternally. Rest with Him, forever. Rest, which begins here on earth, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable” (Hebrews 4:12-13).
The way to rest is through the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Living Word of God – Christ Jesus. The apostle John wrote:
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:1-5).
Like a nightlight allows a child frightened of the dark to rest peacefully, so is the effect of Christ Jesus in our lives. His light allows us to rest peacefully in dark places. In our loneliness, we find rest in His constant and permanent company. His light allows us to see the world, and the people He has put in it, through His perspective. The power of the Light in us allows us to be led by the Spirit in strength, astonishing ourselves at what He’s capable of through us when we yield to Him. Light is the way. The Word is the way.
Study of the Bible is essential to kindling the Light in our hearts. The Word is the way God communicates with us the most, connecting our lives to the wisdom He has prepared for us. Each day, illuminating the evidence of His love in our lives, even in the toughest seasons and most painful situations. Especially in those, He gives us supernatural rest, in Him through Christ Jesus. “Christ’s first coming did not abolish rest; it ushered in a deeper kind of rest than the Sabbath could ever offer,” Scott Hubbard wrote for Desiring God. “In Jesus, something greater than the Sabbath is here.”
“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weakness, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Umbrellas protect us from being soaked by the rain. Jesus is our umbrella. Recently, I found myself surrounded by enemies at a high school basketball game. In that moment, I felt so alone. When I waved to a couple of fellow youth leaders, and they chose to sit with me instead of the student section they were probably aiming for, I felt the arms of the Lord literally wrap me up in comfort. Like an umbrella, protecting me from being saturated by the loneliness I felt sitting there surrounded.
“God’s timing is often odd,” John Piper wrote. “Which is not surprising, since ‘with the Lord one day is a thousand years and a thousand years as one day’ (2 Peter 3:8). The Lord can pack a thousand years of impact into one day (by prayer!). And he can take a thousand years to do a day’s work.” Just so long as we remember, under the umbrella, we are safe. We are never alone. Jesus loves us for who we are, right where we are at. When we come close to Him, He is close to us. Don’t get soaked, accept for by His love.
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Love Differently – Even When It’s Difficult
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