REST & RESET before the NEXT

In our journey with the Lord, we are constantly taking on new stages, seasons, chapters, and dimensions. We must not stagnate or remain stagnant, but we must discern when it's time to remain still and move forward. The Lord has repeatedly emphasized the importance of rest and a divine reset before each next, regardless of the next. It's crucial to understand what it means to rest in the Lord and why it's necessary for effective entry into our next. While we often talk about resting in the Lord, we should truly understand what this means. We must be able to discern when it's time to remain still and when it's time to move forward.

Biblical rest, or the Sabbath, is defined as "peace, ease, or refreshment" and is a central theme in Scripture. It is an intermission from the creation story, where God created for six days and then rested on the seventh. Rest in the Lord is a spiritual rest from confusion, worry, stress, and human effort, and is a break from all internal, external, mortal, and spiritual enemies. The psalmist's expression, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him," refers to a spiritual rest from confusion, worry, stress, and useless human effort.

Psalm 37:7 | Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

The Hebrew word "rest" in the Bible means "to be at peace," "to be still," or "to be quiet or calm." Some Bible translations suggest "Be still before the Lord," "Be silent before the Lord," or "Surrender yourself to the Lord." To completely surrender means giving up control, trying to make things happen, and interfering. God doesn't need our help; he just needs us to align, do what He says for us to do, be obedient, stand on the promises, rectify areas in our lives, receive inner healing, and look into our souls. To rest and be at peace, one must dwell in the presence of the Lord, surrendered to His lordship. In the Old Testament, God promised the people of Israel a life of peace in the Promised Land and rest in His presence (see Exodus 33:14; Joshua 1:13-15). However, this restful living depended on the Israelites remaining faithful and obedient to God alone by keeping their covenant with Him.

Our culture often values busyness and lack of sleep-work provides our identity with busyness assuring our status. Stimulants like caffeine and sugar help us get moving in the morning, while sleeping pills, alcohol, and herbal remedies help us shut down our bodies and minds for sleep. However, this is not what God intended when He created man in His image in the Garden. In the Bible, rest is more than the absence of work; it demonstrates trust for provision, identity, purpose, and importance. Rest is both a regular rhythm to our day and week and a promise with fuller future fulfillment. As the Lord prepares to take us to our next, there needs to be a place of rest and reset, where we can receive a divine reset.

Isaac in the Bible had a large flock of sheep, goats, cattle, and servants, faced jealousy from the Philistines when they filled up all of his wells with dirt (see Genesis 26:12-14). The conflict escalated, leading to the leader of the Philistines ordering Isaac to leave the country. Isaac moved to the Gerar Valley, where he re-dug the wells filled by the Philistines and discovered fresh water. However, the conflict continued as shepherds claimed the spring as their own. Isaac's men dug another location, named "Sitnah," which means "hostility." Abandoning these wells, Isaac moved on to build another well, but "This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means 'open space') for he said, 'At last the LORD has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.'" (see Genesis 26:22). Now if you notice, this well wasn’t built around strive and contention like the first two were. It took Isaac moving away from conflict to a new location in order to build the well which ended being called Rehoboth. What was built in strive and contention did not produce good fruit- but what was built in rest and peace!

Scripture tells us that soon after this Isaac came to Beersheba, where the Lord appeared to him. "I am the God of your father, Abraham," the Lord assured Isaac. "Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you." (see Genesis 26:24). Isaac and his family had finally come to a place of peace and rest.

The writer of Hebrews gives us what seems to be an oxymoron, saying:

Hebrews 4:11a, ESV | Let us therefore strive to enter that rest...

Once there, Isaac had an encounter with Almighty God, which changed his life forever. Isaac's journey to rest led to a profound encounter with God, which changed everything for him. It is important to seek peace, forgive, stop meddling, and let go of conflict to experience clarity and miracles. In a place of rest, clarity will return, and miracles will occur.

Do you feel like you are losing ground in life? Perhaps there is unresolved conflict filling in your wells – and even robbing your inheritance. Heed the admonition of Paul:

Colossians 3:13, NLT | Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Rehoboth-a place of peace will never fail to bring rest and God's blessings to our lives, allowing us to know God in a special way. This place of rest is where encounters occur, strengthens us, refreshes us, and provides clarity. It is a place of peace where we can experience God's blessings in a new way.

In rest there is a divine reset, where the Lord breaks old mindsets, patterns, habits, and ways of thinking to align with our next needs. Just like a computer rebooting, we too experience a divine reset during REST. We cannot go to the next with old baggage, mindsets, approaches, or people from the past season. Surrendering to God's rest and surrendering to the reset is vital for preparing for our next. Many people are currently in a transitionary place or battle-weary, and need to pause and rest to allow the Lord to reset them with new vigor, vision, and strategies.

Our temptation today is to trust in God's provision and care, or to continue to control our lives in futile independence. The practice of rest, while seemingly intangible, demonstrates our dependence on God for all things, temporal and eternal. While we acknowledge our need for Jesus for eternal salvation, we must also relinquish control of our identity and practice in our temporal practice to truly rest and trust in Him. We can rest in the Lord when the world is upside down because He loves us and allows us to depend on Him.

Isaiah 40:28-29 | “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength”.

Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray that you will calm all anxiety. God, you say in Philippians 4:6–8, to be anxious for nothing, but when we make known our requests to you, you will give us peace. But yet, God, we still get anxious. God, you are Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals. And you are Jehovah Jireh, the God who meets needs—the God who provides. Help us to meditate on your truths so we don’t get anxious. Help us to rest in You, Lord. Remember, you are sovereign and in control of everything. And even when things get difficult, Lord, you are bigger than any problem we could possibly have. You are a mighty God.

Father, sometimes we can’t rest because what we face looks impossible. And yet, you tell us in Luke 18:27 that things that are impossible with men are possible with you. In fact, you love it when you work out the impossible. Then there’s no question about who did it. It had to be you.

God, You tell us in John 14:1 that we should not let our hearts be troubled. Father, help us to keep our minds on you and how big you are when our circumstances start to weigh us down.

You are God Almighty. The one who hung each star in place. The one who knows them each by name, as it says in Isaiah 40:26, Lord, you are the one who never gets tired. You give us strength when we are weary. When we feel weak, you will give us power. Help us remember that your power is unending. Amen.