Sacred Rest

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” Jesus says. “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.”

Gene Peterson in The Message puts it this way:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” -Matthew 11:28-30

Sacred Rest.

Sacred rest is about reconnecting with God, getting in touch again with the divine. Sacred rest is not just rest for the body; it’s rest for the soul, like coming home again after a long journey, about finding your place, your purpose again, about renewing not just your mind and body, but your spirit, your inner being, your soul.

God is so real, my friends, so close, wants so much to be close to us, connect with us, be a part of our lives, so much like the food that we eat to sustain ourselves, the drink that quenches our throats, the sleep we need to refresh us when we are tired, the air we need to breathe, the exercise we need to keep us in shape, the work we have to do that allows us to serve the Lord, the purpose we need that claims us as children of the Most High.

I want to offer two quotes by Augustine, who can be so poetic when it comes to the intimacy of the personal relationship Christ wants to have with us. Listen as he prays to God:
 

You have called, You have cried out, and You have pierced my deafness. You have radiated forth, and have shined out brightly, and you have dispelled my blindness. You have sent forth your fragrance, and I have breathed it in, and I long for You. I have tasted You, and I hunger and thirst for You.

God wants to be that close, my friends. And when you can trust enough to surrender to God’s love, it makes all the difference in your life, all the difference. Here’s another one:

In your mercy, Lord my God, tell me what you are to me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” So speak that I may hear you. The ears of my heart are turned to you, Lord; open them and say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

I pray my friends, that you may find a bit of that sacred rest, rest for your souls, that you may find ways to reconnect with God, to hear her voice, to answer her call. God is still speaking; may we come to know the Christ, really know him and the life he gives.

Ron Trimmer is pastor of Hope United, a new church in Georgetown, Texas. Click here to visit Hope United’s website.