I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time being still. I am usually busy accomplishing my to-do lists for the day and find it difficult to be still and quiet. When I find myself “doing” too much, I feel myself heading down an anxious tunnel. These are the moments when I think I can run my life’s race all by myself, relying on my own stamina and being in control. I often forget that our God invites us into lifelong rest, dwelling in His presence and knowing peace and love because Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross for each one of us.
We are, at times, just like the wandering Israelites in the desert described in Hebrews. Those chosen ones were invited into a life of rest and were told the good news of God’s promises. Nevertheless, they turned away in unrighteousness of their own doing.
We, too, have at times wandered through our own deserts—confused, worn out, and lost in thinking that we can persevere by ourselves. It is only when we remember to dwell in the truths our sovereign God reveals to us each hour, day, and night that we can fully rest. This current “desert of COVID-19” causes us to have feelings of despair and confusion. At the same time, it allows us to relate to the Israelites whom God directed to rest in His provisions.
If there is one thing God has revealed to me throughout this desert season, it is His desire for me to rest in Him. He wants me to be still and be assured that He has His hand on our lives. He wants me to remain calm through the rough waters this virus has caused. And He wants me to be still and know that when we surrender our lives to Him, His love and mercy will be ever so abundant.
We know for sure that we will never fully be satisfied with our earthy lives and should “make every effort to enter into His rest”. What this rest looks like will be different for everyone, for we all have different life rhythms. Whatever it may be for you, turn off your notifications for a couple of hours, sit in your favorite chair, and find renewal through reading a book or singing your favorite hymn at the top of your lungs. Whatever it may look like, find a way to be still so you can discover and experience the awe of being in the holy presence of God.
Although we live amid the tensions of today’s deserts, let us seek God’s rest in quiet confidence, both in this present time and in the days to come. Let us strive together to enter into quiet stillness and remember what we know to be true: God is using all of us—even though we are broken vessels—to be the light of His kingdom wherever we are right now.