Sometimes you just run out of oomph. Even Jesus and the disciples took themselves away to a solitary place for rest when things were getting a bit much (Mark 6: 32).
God does not want us to become ineffective because we are worn out. Although written for a different context, this passage from Ezekiel speaks of the rest we find in the LORD, “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness... I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak (Ezekiel 34: 11-16). It’s reminiscent of Psalm 34’s, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
Sometimes we need to lie down in order to get up with renewed strength and vitality. I spoke last week about not getting stuck-in-the-mud, but stressed then, rest was not part of being stuck. Rest helps provide perspective and allows us to pause for breath, to take stock if you will. Rest gives us time to seek God’s will and direction for our lives. He tells us, “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46: 10).
This week I am going to try and be still and seek His presence. If you feel you are running out of oomph too, pause for a moment (or longer), find somewhere quiet and listen for His voice in the stillness. Let it speak to your soul and soothe your spirit like a cool balm on an aching joint. Every joint supplies (Ephesians 4: 16), but sometimes joints need to rest.
-Lara
Thanks so much, Lara, for reminding us how God tends and provides for those He loves, and he knows when we need rest. And thanks for just simply going back to scripture… it’s all there! I feel this is so timely too. I’d been dashing about the last few days, overdoing it too soon after a number of weeks trying to recover from sickness. I nearly had a nasty accident yesterday, as I was driven off the road in a potential collision - miraculously I avoided calamity! This morning, God prompted me to just stop, to make the most of time with family this half-term, to rest and recuperate. Thanks so much Lara, as this just reinforced that! I pray for thos…