Embracing True Rest

It was a crazy morning; my alarm clock was going off and it was time to be up and start the day. My mind glazed over the homework I had been finishing late into the night; I had to remember all of the facts I had memorized for my infection control test: “Ringworm, a fungal organism…” I had finally been able to get to sleep at 2am, and started to wonder if I should really get up after only two and a half hours of quiet. I knew I could still make the bus if I went to back to sleep for just one more hour. But I felt convicted; simply going back to sleep was not the kind of rest I most needed. I needed to rest in Jesus; in His Word and in prayer.

So I hopped out of bed, and got into His word, even though I was exhausted.

Second Chronicles 14:7c says “Because we have sought the Lord our God… He hath given us rest.” As a high school student, I have been told numerous times that teens need a large amount of rest; some sources suggest at least 12 hours of it daily. And I definitely agree, if we’re talking about resting in Jesus. Sleeping on the other hand, although important, shouldn’t be our very first priority. More often than not, people my age ditch their time with Jesus in the morning for “just a little more” sleep.

Taking a look at the original language of the verse above shows us some important things about seeking God and resting in Him. The Hebrew word for sought is “darash,” it’s a verb defined as:

- Ask
- Call
- Consult
- Inquire
- Resort
- Search
- Seek after
- Searched carefully
- Study
- Worship [1]

As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be people who pursue our Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength! I want to be a woman who asks of the Lord, calls on Him, consults with Him, resorts to Him, searches for Him, seeks after Him, studies Him, and ardently worships Him! He must be our very first priority, always.



And when we examine rest in 2 Chronicles 14:7, we find the Hebrew word “nuach.” This verb is defined as:

- Calm
- Come to rest
- Camped
- Enter into rest
- Find rest
- Free
- Give comfort
- Satisfy
- Wait quietly [2]

True peace is found in complete, abandoned surrender to Jesus Christ. We enter into rest when we seek Jesus; our emotions may not always follow, but true rest is not dependent upon our feelings. It’s dependent on Jesus - who never, ever changes. As we obey Him, we can truly find rest; laying distractions aside frees us to bask in the comfort He gives. A favorite song of mine says: “Who can satisfy my soul like You? Who on earth could comfort me and love me like You do? Who could ever be more faithful, true?” [3] Even in times of great stress and turmoil, He remains unmoved; He continues to be our place of perfect, unwavering safety. As it says in Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”



Taking a moment this lovely Sunday afternoon to stand in awe of Jesus. He has always been faithful to give me rest; I just need to calm my heart before Him and listen to His still voice. God is our maker; who could know our needs better than Him? And how incredible is it that He can satisfy every single one of them in and of Himself?! Set your gaze on Him, and seek His face always.

“I think of the love of God as a great river, pouring through us even as the waters pour through our ravine at floodtime. Nothing can keep this love from pouring through us, except of course our own blocking of the river. Do you sometimes feel that you have got to the end of your love for someone who refuses and repulses you? Such a thought is folly, for one cannot come to the end of what one has not got. We have no store of love at all. We are not jugs, we are riverbeds” (Amy Carmichael).

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1. Hebrew “Darash” http://biblehub.com/hebrew/1875.htm
2. Hebrew “Nuach” http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5117.htm
* Both Hebrew words found using the NASB Lexicon: http://biblehub.com/lexicon/2_chronicles/14-7.htm
3. Who Can Satisfy My Soul by Dennis Jernigan