Rest

 February 12, 2024

“Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

—Exodus 33:13-14 

Things weren’t going so well for Moses. While he was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments, the children of Israel were cavorting around a golden idol. God saw it all and was ready to destroy them all until Moses intervened. God relented and told Moses to get ready to lead Israel into the Promised Land. Moses however, wasn’t quite so eager to do so…unless God promised to go with him. Israel had already proven themselves to be a stiff-necked, recalcitrant people, and Moses wasn’t about to try to handle them himself.

So God agreed to go with him, but how would Moses know for sure he would do so? After all, God couldn’t be seen with human eyes, and it’s pretty hard to be sure someone is with you if you can’t see them. To ease Moses’ concerns, God gave him a way of knowing: “I will give you rest.”

If I am feeling overwhelmed, over tired, and worn out, it is an indication that a distance has opened up between God and me. If the sign of his presence is rest, restlessness is a sign of God’s absence. God is only absent when I have crowded him out of my life with my busyness, my sin, or my negligence. Restlessness is a warning sign to step back and take stock of the state of my soul. Rest even in the midst of activity is the sign of God’s presence. Jesus himself undergirds this with his statement in Matthew 11:28 

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” —Matthew 11:28