Finding Our Purpose: Resting in Him pt.3

I. Am. Tired. Yeah, story of my life. Most likely you can identify with me on that. Rest is a hard thing to come by it seems. I don’t even think it necessarily comes from the day and time we live in, I think it’s that we busy ourselves because we feel like the more we work the more we accomplish. Well, that’s true in a way, but without a purpose all you can accomplish is a whole lotta notta. See, that’s the big point here, we work and work, try and try, go and go, without aim and we exhaust ourselves. Once we exhaust ourselves, we crash for a bit and then pick back up where we left off. It’s a never-ending, insane cycle. So yeah, I am tired, but let me tell you something, I am discovering that there is something to this whole resting in God thing.

When we rest in the Lord, it isn’t because we fall into Him due to exhaustion; although that can and does happen. No, instead we rest in the Lord for Him to give us clarity and guidance. We rest in Him so that we will sit still long enough for Him to put us on the right path, for Him to give us the energy and strength to endure. Resting in the Lord is an action, but it is an action that requires faith. You have to trust that God will get you through whatever the big question mark ahead of you might be. Right now I don’t know really what my purpose is. I can continue to slave crazily and go, go, go, but doing so will not allow me to see what His plan and purpose is. I am tired, but it’s of my own design.

I have been going through an incredible rough patch in my life. I will be open and honest about it for the first time to everyone. In May of 2008, my wife and I separated. After almost four years of marriage, we separated. In the ten months, so far, I have not really taken time for me to rest in the Lord. I wanted to get my mind off of the hurt, pain, and fear and so I decided to just keep pushing myself and in doing so I have gone down many dark paths. The best way for me to describe it is that I have been on a trail, imagine a hiking trail. On this trail I am surrounded my many trees that block me from seeing my destination and at times the trail disappears. I only have to trust that if I stay on this path I will get to my destination, but instead of doing so I keep wandering off the trail. Each time I do so I am met with a roadblock and have to back track to the point where I wandered off the trail. This is how it’s been. Instead of sitting down and getting my bearing, I have tried to force the issue. Instead of sitting down and listening to the Lord, resting in Him, I keep trying to forge ahead. This is God calling to me saying “Justin, sit down, rest in Me and I will give you the proper path.” I am here today on the verge of divorce and I realize that this isn’t His plan, but because of my own stubborn attitude and me trying to do, do, do and go, go, go I am now faced with this horrible reality. The point of me bringing this up isn’t to scare people into thinking they should do what I say, but it is me using my life as an example of what happens when you don’t rest in the Lord. Instead of clinging to Him and letting Him recharge me and give me guidance, I tried to do it myself…and oh what a mess I’ve made.

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Oh how I wish I had taken this to heart. Oh how I pray dear brothers and sisters that you take this to heart. The Lord wants us to rest in Him. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He longs to hold us in the rough times and if only we’d let Him do so. As I sat last night praying and reading, I came across something that I felt I had to share. It is a snippet from a poem by George Herbert and it reads as follows:

“Away, Despair! My gracious Lord doth hear:
Though winds and waves assault my keel,
He doth preserve it: he doth steer,
Ev'n when the boat seems most to reel:
Storms are the triumph of his art:
Well may he close his eyes, but not his heart."

The point in me bringing this poem up is that life is tumultuous…even on the good days. Life is busy and it can be difficult. God’s desire is for us to rest in Him. When the storm rocked the boat, what was Jesus doing? He was sleeping. It is a wonderful story. This comes from Mark 4:35-41:

“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don't you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’”

Jesus was going to the other side to rest, to escape the noise. On that journey a storm arose and yet he slept. It was the disciples who lacked in faith and so they woke Jesus and he calmed the storm. You see, that is EXACTLY what God wants us to do. He is calling us to escape the noise and the crowds and the busyness so He can do a work in us. Why didn’t I trust Him to guide me through and help me reconcile with my wife? I guess the short answer to that is that I, like the disciples, lacked faith; however I will no longer approach it like this. I want to rest in the Lord. God wants to take my burdens away and place His yoke upon me. He desires me…and you to rest in Him. When we do so He rescues us from the storms of life and He guides us to our purpose. Friends, Rest in Him and He will open your eyes to things that will take your breath away, I have been there and I will be there again…and so will you. God bless each and every one of you.