Category: Rest

Seek Him

Like many people, I don’t love change. So, the way I prepare for it is by figuring out what’s next for me. If I can’t prevent a transition, at least I can try getting comfortable with the fact that it’s going to happen. 

So, last summer, as I began my final season of a three-year term as Coordinator for a women’s Bible study at church, I started emotionally preparing for my role to end. Bracing myself for the impending change, I started praying about what was next for me. But every time I asked for the Lord’s leading, the two messages He seemed to repeat were: 1) Seek Me instead of answers from Me. 2) Continue to focus on where you’re serving now and don’t worry about what comes next.

It seemed that every book I read or Bible study I did kept repeating that message. Here’s one quote that captures it well: “Listen, He is the prize. Not His direction, guidance, and clarity, not even His comfort, relief, and encouragement. Just Him. He is the One who encompasses all you are searching for. When God speaks, His chief aim is to reveal Himself. He desires to make Himself known and lead you into a more intimate relationship with Him. If you overlook this main objective in search of more self-focused ambitions (even honorable ones), you will not be able to clearly discern His leading. The distorting filter of pride and self-importance will skew what you’re hearing, mistaking the voice of your own ego for the voice of God. The clarity you desire comes from matching your chief aim in hearing Him with His chief aim in speaking to you.” (Priscilla Shirer*)

Keeping this in mind, I began searching the Bible for every instance of the word “seek.” Turns out it’s in there quite a few times. Throughout the Old Testament Israel’s kings were advised by wise counselors and prophets to seek the Lord. God’s chosen people were also repeatedly admonished to seek Him and to steer clear of foreign idols and false gods. Some listened, quite a few didn’t.

Many of us are familiar with the words of Jeremiah 29:11, which are often quoted when people transition from one season in life to another: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”  

These words of reassurance aren’t always set in context, however. They were written to the Israelites who had been taken captive and brought to Babylon. Jeremiah’s words here encourage them that God hasn’t forgotten them, but the verses that follow also include some important instructions for them: “’Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.’” (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

God reassured His children they would be rescued from exile, but a previous verse also mentions it wouldn’t happen for seventy years! While they waited, He invited His people to call upon Him and He promised He would listen to them. Many of the captives would live their remaining days in Babylon, never seeing their homeland again. That didn’t mean God had abandoned them. In fact, He invited them to draw near to Him and assured them of His presence. However, He also made it clear that seeking Him required wholeheartedness.

The word “seek” used here is the Hebrew verb “baqash.”** It means to search out by any method, but especially through worship and prayer. The implication is “to strive after.” Seeking God involves ongoing effort and focus. Once we begin a relationship with Him, we’re meant to spend the rest of our lives striving to know Him more deeply. 

The word “heart” used in the passage is the Hebrew noun “lebab.”** It characterizes our soul, mind, inclinations, conscience, moral character, and appetites. So, to seek God with all our hearts reflects a pursuit of Him that is complete and connected to all areas of our lives. It means surrendering to His will and His ways without holding anything back. Learning to do this takes consistent practice for a lifetime. It seems there are always areas of our lives we either consciously or unconsciously withhold from God. As we pursue Him, He reveals them to us and gently invites us to surrender them to Him.

I think that’s what He’s doing in me. As I slow my pace and seek Him, I’m giving Him room to show me where I’m holding out on Him and where I need further refinement.  There are moments when I struggle with impatience–I just want to know His plan for me so that I can start implementing it. Instead, God seems to be reminding me to be still in His presence so that I can learn more about His character. He wants to shape my character so that He can use me effectively. If I run ahead of Him, I’m missing the point. It’s not about finding the next place to serve, but becoming more completely surrendered to Him.

In the last month, I’ve changed my early morning routine and have begun spending my quiet time on the front porch sitting in a rocking chair wrapped in a blanket. Before opening my Bible or journal, I remain still for a few minutes and take in the sights and sounds around me. I’m learning that my neighborhood has a predictable morning rhythm. While I usually see the same runner at the same time or notice certain neighbors following regular patterns, I’ve also realized that the natural world is always changing. The white blossoms that filled my apple tree in late April have been replaced by tiny green fruit. Birds are constantly active, whether it’s chirping and calling from the trees or taking flight and soaring overhead. Rays of sunshine spotlight new blooms on the lavender across the street that weren’t there a few weeks ago. Sitting quietly taking it all in, I see that life teems around me– I’ve just never stopped to notice it before. It reminds me that even while I’m still, God is always at work. 

Tiny apples have replaced the spring blossoms. Watching them transform reminds me that God is always tending to what He’s created.

By seeking Him in the quiet of early morning, He’s revealing Himself to me. He’s reminding me that even while I wait, He’s at work, not just in the natural, but in the supernatural. The daily changes I see from my porch show me that He moves methodically and incrementally. Sometimes the differences start so subtly that I don’t notice them for a while. I’m reminded that He’s dependable and trustworthy, but not predictable. I recognize that God is always tending to what He’s created. Rather than waiting impatiently for Him to reveal what He’s doing, I’ll continue seeking Him so that I can know Him better and follow Him faithfully.

Natalie Grant’s song “More Than Anything” provides a powerful reminder to seek God rather than just expecting answers from Him. Will you join me in making it your prayer today?

*Discerning the Voice of God, p. 105

**The descriptions for the Hebrew words are compiled from Strong’s Concordance. “Baquash” is Strong’s #H1245 “Lebab” is Strong’s #H3824.

Under-Sabbathed

I’ve lived my entire life in busy metropolitan areas teeming with opportunities. My husband and I have raised our kids in a community where youth sports and extracurricular activities dominate the calendar seven days a week. For the most part, stores and restaurants are open every day too. And because of the internet, we have twenty-four-hour access to virtually everything we want or need. Life never shuts down unless we choose to remove ourselves from the normal flow of activities.

So, imagine our surprise when our son started college in another part of the country where Sundays actually look a little different from the rest of the week. The first time we visited, we were thrown off by the number of restaurants and local businesses that were closed all day. The town felt quiet and sleepy—and something about it was just so incredibly restful.

Recently I’ve been studying the account of creation described in Genesis 1 & 2. For six days God labored as He created things like light, land, stars, plants, sea creatures, animals and human beings. And at the end of each day of creation, Scripture tells us, “God saw that it was good.” This repetition continues until 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” (Genesis 2:2-3, NIV).

Other passages in Scripture tell us that God doesn’t slumber or sleep (Psalm 121) and that He will not grow tired or weary (Isaiah 40:28). So why did He rest? It wasn’t because He was tired, but because His work was complete and He saw that “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Later in Scripture, after sin enters the world and God’s people have been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, He delivers them under the leadership of Moses. The Lord gives them the Ten Commandments to instruct them how to relate with Him and with one another. His fourth commandment to them is this:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8,9,11, NIV).

Is this an archaic commandment that no longer applies to us today? Was it abolished when Jesus fulfilled the law later in the New Testament? The simple answer is “no.” Times have changed, but the need for deep rest for our bodies, minds, and souls remains the same. There are many reasons to observe the Sabbath, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll touch on two highlighted by respected author, pastor and teacher Timothy Keller.

Keeping the Sabbath Reminds Us We’ve Been Liberated from Enslavement
God told the Israelites: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you” (Deuteronomy 15:15, NIV). When we fail to take a Sabbath rest, we are allowing ourselves to be enslaved to the tasks we’re compelled to accomplish. This could be a job, but it could also be any form of busyness that we do without ceasing. If we have the need to be productive constantly, something is out of balance and we are letting those activities enslave us.

Sabbath rest reminds us that our work and our accomplishments don’t define us, our relationship with Christ does. He liberated us from enslavement to sin and freed us from needing to find our sense of worth in anything other than Him. Observing the Sabbath helps us to put things back into perspective. It’s meant to remind us we’re free.

Keeping the Sabbath Reminds us to Trust God
Being productive makes us feel powerful and in control. It can also make us have a misplaced idea that we are indispensable. As much as it feels like it, everything doesn’t rest on our shoulders. The world won’t stop spinning on its axis and the sun won’t forget to rise if we take a day to rest. That’s why the Psalm says, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 NASB) When we pause from the acts of achieving and accomplishing, we’re reminded that it’s God who holds all things together. We labor and strive in meaningful endeavors He’s given us, but ultimately it is the Lord who provides for us. We can rest because He is trustworthy. Everything doesn’t depend on us and taking a Sabbath is an act of humility that acknowledges this.

Few people would disagree with the idea that we are over-stimulated and under-sabbathed in our society today. But how should we spend our time when we change gears and downshift one day a week to let our souls catch up with us? Tim Keller suggests three things to devote ourselves to when we take a Sabbath day.

1) Enjoy an activity that is outside your usual daily routine/ occupation. Do something that re-charges and rejuvenates you. Don’t use the Sabbath to accomplish tasks on your to do list.
2) Make time for contemplation. This means taking your eyes off yourself and putting them on God. Start by attending a worship service. Add to it by spending time in prayer or reading Scripture. Set aside specific time to give the Lord the honor and praise He deserves.
3) Make time for inactivity. Let your brain and body rest. Give God room to speak to you by clearing your mind. For highly productive and capable people, doing nothing is often the one thing they struggle with most. (If this makes you squirm, know that I’m right there with you. Even writing these words is painful for me.)

Johnny Diaz’s song “Breathe” beautifully captures the importance of rest. If you don’t think you have time to watch the video, then you need to click on it right now!

Inspired by Timothy Keller’s sermon “Work and Rest” and
Jen Wilkin’s God of Creation, Week 3, Lifeway Press  2017.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com