Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).
Does the above title sound inviting to you? 2025 is entering its 5th month at breakneck speed with no slowdown in sight. The activities, commitments, and events seem to keep adding up leaving little or no time to pause and catch one’s breath. This hectic pace is not part of God’s order. Perhaps its time to take a few minutes and consider carefully what the Lord has to say about His Rest.
The above title is actually an invitation that the Lord is giving to His people. Who is this invitation geared towards? It’s given to those who are tired, weary, burned-out and at the end of their strength. That may well include the majority of those who are reading this article.
Over the last few weeks, I have found many struggling in the area of insomnia and sleepless nights. Many wake up at night with no ability to get back to sleep. Their minds suddenly click into their daily routines leaving them frustrated as they lose ability to recover their precious rest. Why is this becoming more common and what can be done to reverse this trend? Let’s consider the following few points:
The enemy knows no rest
But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20-21).
This should answer the question as to where the primary source of our restlessness is coming from. The enemy is a driver and taskmaster, doing all he can to keep people under bondage and control. The more he captures us into his whirlpool of activity the less time we have for God, Family, and Rest. This knowledge will enable us in knowing how to fight against this powerful tactic of restlessness.
The Peace of God is a Weapon
And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen (Romans 16:20).
How is it possible for Peace to be a weapon? Our adversary thrives on a person’s fears, doubts, and unbelief. For example, having fears of not being able to make ends meet can result in added stress and burdens. Doubts and unbelief can stifle the growth of faith in an individual’s life.
On the other hand, the Peace of God gives no room for Satan and his devices. The fruit of God’s Peace allows us for to withstand any storm that comes our way.
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39).
We can enter into the Blessedness of God’s Rest by having the Peace of God in our hearts (Romans 5:1).
He leads us Besides the Still Waters
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters (Psalm 23:2).
Be honest, have you ever tried placing yourself into this picture? To come to a place of beautiful scenery, feeling removed from the pressures and demands of life while basking in God’s provision of Rest? This is the invitation the Lord is placing before His people in this hour. Yes, even in this fast-paced world we live in there is that call to His Rest. The question one may be asking is how this possible? There is so much to do and so little time to do it.
A good place to start would be to read Psalm 23 and begin to ask the Lord to help make this a reality in your life. Our role in this process is to do our part, to make time for God and then step aside and marvel at what He will do.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11).
Let’s not forget that the Lord laboured for 6 days at the time of creation (Genesis 1). He then rested from His work on the 7th Day. Understanding God’s intention for Rest is essential for the believers of the last days. Satan is determined to strip mankind of coming into this blessed experience. There is a Rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9). Let’s be quick to respond to our Lord’s gracious invitation. Now is the Time!
DAILY MEDITATIONS:
Monday: Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Tuesday: Psalm 127:2
It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.
Wednesday: Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Thursday: Hebrews 4:3
For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Friday: Psalm 4:8
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Saturday: John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Sunday: Genesis 2:2-3
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
All scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version (NKJV).
By Pastor Tim O’Connell
