REST!

8 Aug

As a Church we are enjoying our ‘Summer Sabbath’. It's a time where we are trying to be deliberate about stopping, resting, delighting in all that God has created and to focus in a deeper way in our Worship to Him.

Last weekend Valda and I took a road trip to ‘Light Church’ over in Fylde. We visited them this time last year and for us it’s a safe port to go to; it’s where we can just ‘be’ rather than ‘do’. We were able to walk in last minute, we sat at the back, we heard God simply for ourselves and we could just leave. Not very sociable we know!

There was a lot that spoke to us.

However for today’s thought there was one specific moment in worship where we sang a song called ‘In Control’ which is a song that is a few years old. The words just resonated with me and can I suggest you maybe take a moment out of your day to have a listen. (Link below) Here is the specific part that challenged me all over again.

I lift my hands to heaven

Hear my heart surrender

I tell my soul again

You are Lord of all

And though the seas are raging

You will speak and tame them

In You I find my rest

You are in control

I love those words, there is so much truth in them. For me the last two lines just stand out and are what I want to explore a little today. In You I find my rest and You are in control.

This coming weekend we are encouraging you to try and explore ‘Rest’ as part of this month's focus. Can I say that this is much harder than you may think!

I’ve been trying over the years to put more focus and Rhythms into my life around Sabbath. Trust me it’s been a battle! Rest is a vital part of Sabbath but it’s so much harder to build consistent rhythms into our lives. To be intentional with rest is challenging! To plan and build clear rest into my weeks, months and years has always been difficult for me to do.

Why do I find it so hard to rest?

For me, it’s been difficult because of the ‘Noise’ I often inflict on my own soul! The noise that comes from the distractions I've told myself ‘I’ve earned’! Believe me, I have done some extensive testing on the distractions I fill my time with and I can say without hesitation that I now don’t believe that rest is found in TV or social media. Maybe you think that is a little harsh as it’s your way of resting!

Over the years, I have always been quick to find a good box set to binge watch, or searched endlessly to watch/listen to a new podcast series. It has been my way to ‘escape’ or ‘switch off’ but this has never resulted in true rest! Maybe for you, your rest is being found in Youtube influencers, funny Tik Tok videos or playing video games into the night. I’ve done them all but they don't bring the rest that our soul needs, yet we all can spend hours passing the time with any or all the above ‘noise’!

Now, I don’t think any of the above are inherently wrong but we do need to see them for what they are! They are distractions! They are often just noise! We might all like to think that we are giving God the opportunity to speak through this stuff but that just isn’t true! All we end up doing is replacing rest with distraction?

So why do we choose distraction over rest?

Science will probably tell us that we have become over reliant on the numbing effects of our brain by releasing far too much dopamine. (Dopamine reduces pain and discomfort.) It’s true that technology has created this modern phenomena so we become reliant on that little release of dopamine.

But I think choosing distraction, choosing noise and the numbing qualities takes us back to those lyrics.

In You I find my rest.

You are in control

It is really interesting how Control is at the heart of our willingness to ‘Numb’ aspects of our lives!

We often decide which method. We decide the ‘when’. We decide ‘where’ and ‘for how long’! We love this because we ultimately are the ones who get to decide! Break it down even further and we love it because it’s ourselves who are in control! If we are honest, none of us like to hand over control to anyone; even God! We battle to give God control of our lives, to actually stop and rest would be to say ‘God you don’t need me, you’ve got this because You are in control’! I can hear the undertones and hints of pride in me even now as I type this!

The message given at Light Church at the weekend was from John 6 ‘The feeding of the 5000’ and so this week I’ve been studying and reflecting more on that. I have found myself reading Mark’s account of it!

Mark 6 verse 30 - 35

The apostles gathered round Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them ,‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognised them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

There is so much in that passage! Jesus recognised that rest was necessary for his disciples; that rest included space away from their ‘work’ and to a quiet/solitary place! Can I highlight that this was a place without noise or distraction. What really encourages me and gives me hope is how the disciples still didn’t get any rest! How amazing that even Jesus' plan to rest was interrupted, he had compassion and began to teach! Can I encourage you that just like Jesus, you will make plans to rest and if your family is anything like ours, you will get interruptions and that’s ok! What I find interesting is what Jesus does after the 5000; he gets back to his rest! He does not forfeit that time as it is needed.

Mark 6 verse 46

After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

The world will tell you that rest comes in many forms but as Jesus followers we know that true rest is found in God. In verse 30 it was ‘Come with me (Jesus) to find rest’. Our rest is with Jesus! Then Jesus is interrupted, he teaches but then he gets back to what is necessary, what is restorative, what actually in many ways enables him to carry out his purpose on Earth. He rests with and in the Father.

Where does my rest come from? Him!

Where do my distractions come from? Me!

Who is really in control of my life? Him or Me?

Do I trust God enough to hand over control?

I lift my hands to heaven

Hear my heart surrender

I tell my soul again

You are Lord of all

And though the seas are raging

You will speak and tame them

In You I find my rest

You are in control