Choosing God and Coffee for Rest and Spiritual Renewing.

For I [fully] satisfy the weary soul, and I replenish every languishing and sorrowful person. (Jeremiah 31:25 AMP)

Each afternoon I am in dire need of renewing and rejuvenation. I like to grab a snack and brew a new, fresh cup of coffee with just a little raw sugar added. This is usually the time I choose to take a break from the activities of my day and just sit in my sunroom and watch the rain, or sunshine, or birds, or wind. The quiet is immense. My mind is able to slow down. I am able to breath slowly. I can see colors, movement in the yard. I can feel the sun on my face or the heat of the warm fire. I am able to settle down and spend time with Christ.

There is a Hebrew word in the Bible that explains this type of rest. Nuakh means "to dwell or settle". It is not the same type of rest that we would do if we take a break, or a nap, or stopped working. This is not just a coffee break to get ready to do more, it is purposefully taking time to spend with God. This respite is meant to be your spiritual rest from confusion, worry, stress, and human effort. It is an interruption from all internal, external, mortal, and spiritual enemies. But in order to make this specific, detailed time the most productive, we need to make it a point to ask God to join us. Actually, the only way we can enter this type of rest, this nuakh, is to sit in His presence and surrender to His sovereign grace.

Our lives have become so overrun by temptation to do more than everyone else, to have more, or to appear better. Social media is full of advertisements of how you can become younger looking, style your hair a different way, and wear clothes that may attract people to you. We stare at our phones for hours watching videos of what people are doing in their lives and give up time to interact with our children or spouses, or to sit and be in the presence of God. It seems we would rather busy ourselves with things of this world rather than take a few minutes to bring our pressures and anxieties to God and ask Him to be part of finding the way to crawl out from under these pressures. Each one of us deals with apprehension, uncertainty, and tiredness from daily struggles. We all take part in activities of a world that is moving faster than ever; asking us to keep up with its rapid spinning. All of us are running a race that could end at any time. This race might look like health issues for yourself or a family member. Maybe you have lost a job recently or are not able to keep up with your monthly expenses. It could be that you are facing a move, or job change, kids leaving home, or a wedding in the future. It could even be something positive like planning for vacation or baking your favorite cookies. Whatever it might look like in your pocket-size section of the world, it all causes us to become unsettled and in need of rest.

In order to combat all of these issues, we tend to do one of two things. We either take time to rest; maybe take a vacation or spend the weekend hiking, or sleeping in, or binge-watching Netflix. Or we continue down the path of busyness because it becomes a distraction from facing the heavy burdens life is giving us. The one thing we seldom make time to do is nuahk. When we seek the world in our troubles, we are seeking a rest that is nowhere to be found. We become Christians who have low spiritual energy and are susceptible to schemes and lies. Then, we turn outward and start to look for the next thing that makes us feel alive again. And we just aren’t, ever, going to find that “thing”!

Jesus speaks to us in Matthew 11:28 when He says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (CSB) This is a promise He is making to us if we decide we will rest in Him rather than look elsewhere to find a way out. He tells us when we entrust ourselves to Him and believe, we can enter into the rest only He can provide (Hebrews 4:1-3). I recently heard of people who will travel to Israel to visit the Temple Mount ruins just to press their body as closely to the wall that remains in order to be as close as they can to God. They will press their cheek to the stone and pray to their Almighty Father. Yet, we won’t even open our Bibles after we have stayed up too late watching TV. Or, we can’t take time to miss a video on Instagram in order to give Christ five minutes of time in rest to pray, praise, and learn about Him.

So, how can we practically put rest in Jesus into our daily routine? Here are some suggestions to get you started:

1.     Recognize that you need rest; only the rest that comes from Jesus not from any other source.

2.     Be intentional and set time every day to rest even if it is only five minutes, to speak to God.

3.     Read scripture daily even if it is only one verse. Write it down and thank God for it. Ask Him to help you understand its meaning.

4.     Stop carrying all of your burdens, instead go to God during this rest time and lay them at His feet.

5.     Most importantly --- get STILL. Put away the distractions and busyness and still your mind. In the beginning it might look like just being quiet and listening but don't worry, the Holy Spirit will lead you in what to say and what to listen to.

We need spiritual maintenance if we are going to enjoy what the Lord has to offer through rest. If we are not able to stay close to Him, we may never receive satisfaction for our weary soul or be replenished in order to continue on with the work we have to do here on earth (Jeremiah 31:25).     

Make a plan for yourself to find time to peacefully rest in Him and the promises He has for you. Your life will change. You will find refreshment! You will find satisfaction and answers for the problems that arise and keep you unsettled. You will be granted an ear that will hear and a Grace that loves you so deeply. He will be there for you at whatever time you manage for Him, now make time to be there as well.

Prayer

            Lord God, knowing You are available for me at any time, allows me to have peace. My life needs refreshing. My weary soul needs rest and I am reaching out to You rather than the world to find a rest unlike any I can imagine. Thank You for Your grace in meeting me where I am and being a God who loves me.

Today’s Challenge:

Find a scripture you would like to read each day. Write it down and place it where you have chosen to rest. Have it available for you so you don’t have to search or get distracted. Make time to read it every day.