Rest in the Lord

In most of the world, people consider that the day begins in the morning, when the sun comes up, and ends at night. However, in Genesis, which is sometimes known as the Book of Beginnings, it is the other way round! In the account of creation, for each of the six days we are told: ‘There was evening and there was morning – the first day … the second day … the third day …’ I believe that God ordained it to be that way round in order to teach us something.

The book of Hebrews speaks of there being a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ‘for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work’ (Hebrews 4:10). I believe this is not just talking about rest on the Sabbath (which is important), but also the rest from our own striving that we should enter when we are born again. We cannot earn our salvation; it is achieved only through believing in the complete work of Jesus on the cross. Any attempt to add to it through our own works, or to seek to earn God’s love and approval, is futile. We are to enter God’s rest and to cease trying to fix things for ourselves!

This doesn’t mean that we are to be inactive and passive, but that we should start from a place of total reliance on God and rest in Him. I believe that is why at Creation the day was ‘evening and then morning’, and the Hebrew day still begins at sunset.

In Psalm 46:10 God tells us to: ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ If we could remember to start each day by being still in His presence, acknowledging who He is, recognising our total reliance on Him and resting in Him, we would find that the activity of the day is done in His strength and not our own. It should all start with rest in the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, I am sorry for the times I have gone into the day without first resting in You and recognising my total reliance on You. Help me to remember to be still and know that You are God. Amen.