God’s promise of rest

Poetry often has layers of meaning. The poem might be about ordinary things, yet the imagery points to something deeper, a mood or a concept. I’m not much of a poet, but I see the same thing happening in Scripture.

For instance, Hebrews 4 is about God’s promise of rest. What kind of rest is He talking about? Is it physical? Is it a rest from trying to work for one’s salvation? Is it the rest I feel when I am trusting God instead of worrying about life’s problems? Or is it that final rest from all my labors when I go to heaven? In its context, this rest could mean all of those answers. It says:

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

Physical rest is promised in places like Psalm 23. “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” Jesus knows our need for rest as He also experienced physical exhaustion. (Anyone who could sleep in a boat during a raging storm, Matthew 8:23-27, had to be tired!) Several Scripture passages contain promises that God will grant sleep to His beloved for He knows we need it.

This rest in Hebrews 4 is also a rest from trying to earn salvation. Verse 2 brings out the connection by saying that those who enter this rest must do so by faith. An intense desire to please God by doing what we think will please Him can put us into the tyranny of never being certain we have done enough. Jesus took care of that on the Cross. We don’t earn God’s favor because no matter how much we do, we fall short. Jesus offers forgiveness and new life as a gift. We obtain it by faith and by accepting His gift, not by working for it.

This rest in Hebrews 4 can also mean the rest of trusting God instead of worrying. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.”

When I take my anxious thoughts and concerns to Him and am thankful because I know that He hears and answers prayer, He gives me a peace that goes beyond logic. This peace is the most restful frame of mind that I’ve ever experienced.

Of course the final rest is heaven. One day my work here will be over. Yes, I have stopped working for my salvation, but there is still the issue of working out my salvation as I cooperate with God who is transforming my life. There is still the work of ordinary chores like making beds, washing floors, and scrubbing toilets. There is still the work of writing and preparing lesson materials to teach them. There is the work of relationship building, and the work of helping those in need. When God calls me home, I will enter into a rest from all these things, a rest that will last for eternity.

Before he became a Christian, my husband used to say that heaven would be boring, that there would be nothing to do. As we get older (and more tired!) the prospect of eternal rest sounds less like boredom and more like a wonderful reward. However, other than our human ideas and hopes about eternity, God says we cannot fully imagine what heaven will be like—and He does not tell us. All we know is that we will be with Him—and that will be enough.

I am tired today, still recuperating from playing nine holes of golf on Sunday afternoon using a pull cart. The physical rest of nightly sleep is a blessing from God. So is that rest from all anxiety about where I stand with Him. I am secure in Christ and not anxious about sin, guilt, or where I will go when I die. Some days I get anxious about things around me, but am glad that I can take those to the Lord and be at peace. What I am anticipating is that final rest, where at last I can cease from all my labors and just enjoy being with Jesus.