In the midst of so much change and having everything shut down for a time during this recent COVID-19 outbreak, I’m actually not that perturbed. I know the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He’s in control. More than that, I know He knows, and I can trust His character that He cares. Honestly, I think my shoulders are getting sore from all the shrugging I’ve been doing, saying, “Eh, we’ll see what happens!” God’s been teaching me many lessons in this season, and one of those lessons is around rest.
Hebrews 4 talks about our future (eschatological) rest as the people of God. This place of rest is the dwelling place of God. He dwells in perfect rest. God’s not anxious because He knows His will will be done. I believe God’s command for rest is a sacrament. That is, it’s a divine reality lived out in our physical world. Keeping Sabbath, resting, is a sacrament of the Sabbath rest that is to come. Even as we strive to enter that future rest, God is gracious and allows us to experience a little taste of it as we rest in His presence now.
This season has forced a lot of us to rest, or at least interrupted our busyness. It’s easy to stop working, but can be hard to truly rest. These changes allow for rest, but rest is also meant to change us!
Sometimes God’s presence can seem intimidating, but I encourage us all to not just distract ourselves. Rather, let’s take advantage of this opportunity to rest in God’s presence, allow the Word to slice and dice us (Heb.4:11-13), and draw near to throne of Grace, knowing that our Great High Priest understands our weaknesses (Heb.4:14-16)!
