Learning to Rest in the 2020s

One of the big themes in the Bible is the command to rest.

The conversation began in the Garden and beginning with God modeling it for us, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” [Ge 2]

One of my favorites is that incredible conversation between Moses and God, where God promises, because Moses asked, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” [Ex 33]

Rest became a cornerstone of the Old Covenant Law: “The seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work.”

One of Jesus’s big promises to us is rest, and an acknowledgment that we need that rest. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” [Mt 11]

And later, Scripture reveals that there’s a price to pay if we skip our rest: “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” [Heb 4]

Years ago, Bob Jones prophesied, “The 2020’s will reveal the Rest of God. To where the body will come into a place of resting in God, where God will rest in us. And in this rest, the enemy will not be able to do warfare because we are resting in God and He is resting in us, and He will accomplish the things He means to do in a people that is at rest. He has always wanted a people that will come into His rest. There never has been one but rest is on the way.”

And now we’re all locked away in our homes. Resting. Well, sort of. What an opportunity.

Sure, life’s a mess. That’s actually normal. We’re not here to be comfortable. We’re here on a mission.

I’m looking to rest better in this season. That doesn’t mean “Don’t do as much.” That means “Do the work from a place of rest.”

What are your experiences with learning about rest? What is Father teaching you, and how is he teaching it to you? 

Prophetic Exercise: The Chair by the Fireplace

Here’s an exercise, if you’re willing.

Imagine a comfortable room, a quiet room. There’s a big fireplace in the room, with a roaring fire, and next to the fireplace is a big chair. A Papa chair.

Father is sitting in that chair, relaxed. His eye, with a sparkle in it, is on you. He reaches a hand out toward you.

You can curl up on his lap, if you like, and rest your head on his mighty shoulder. Or you can curl up at his feet if you prefer. But this is a good time to be quiet and to rest with him, however that works best for you.

In the silence, you can hear his heart beating gently, peacefully, strong. His hand is on the back of your head, fingers in your hair, caressing gently.

You can feel the stuff of your day drain out of you, like dirty bath water vanishing down the drain: gone, never to be seen or heard from again, and in its place, you feel the presence of peace on you, like the warmth of the crackling fire.

Be still. Shhh…. Maybe you drift off to sleep for a bit. The quiet is all around you.

After a long time, you realize it’s not quite absolutely silent; you can hear his soft, deep voice whispering your name, over and over. Do you hear him?

Then he speaks to you, quietly, his words like a warm blanket over you. That feels nice.

What do you hear him saying to you?