In returning and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and in trust will be your strength. Isaiah 30:15 ESV
Rest is the antithesis of everything our culture recommends. It's all about the hustle and bustle in this day and age. But I can't find anywhere in scripture when Jesus told anyone to hustle. He never lived his life in 5th gear or impressed that mindset or way of living upon his disciples. Instead, it was quite the opposite. He was found napping while the storm and the sea raged. He spent time around the table, reclining, and in conversation with his disciples. He went about his work methodically and intentionally, without haste or a frantic pace. And that's exactly what he invites us into. Isaiah 30:15 says 'In returning and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and in trust will be your strength.' When we leave our hurried way of living, we find the rest our weary souls long for. When we stop the striving and endless hustle and return to Him, we are ultimately saved. It's in the quiet, still moments of sitting in His presence that we find our strength and we are renewed. True rest requires full trust in Him. When we no longer hold to our frantic pace of doing and achieving and accomplishing, He then must be enough for us. He must provide for us. He must sustain us.
Rest and quietness go against the pull we feel to keep up and hustle harder. But it's in returning to the foot of the cross where we are saved; it's where we find rest from our striving and frantic pace. It's in quietness where the to-do lists and the demands of this world are no longer idolized. When we are quiet and still, finding rest in His presence, we find that indeed He is all we need. He is all we will ever need. When we place our trust in Him alone, He strengthens us for the day and the task at hand. In a state of rest, we allow God to not only restore and refresh us, but also to work mightily through us. He can bring eternal impact when we simply abide. He provides abundantly more than our striving and hustle ever could.
How will you return and rest today? In the midst of the chaos, will you calm your senses and tell your spirit to listen for His gentle whisper? Will you choose to remain in him as he remains in you? You don’t have to be motionless to be resting. Because, rest comes from within, and it is a place you can remain, even as you move about your day. Rest is a gift that comes from a very loving and understanding Father. Will you return to receive this gift today?
Your fellow Able Mom,
Meredith W. Boggs
Lord, when I feel the pull to push harder, help me instead to choose your presence. When the world says hustle and hurry, attune my heart to your voice that invites me into rest. Thank you for continually pursuing me even when I chase after worldly things.