It has been written here that we are to watch and be ready every day. It is written here because it was first written in the Word. We have been watching in readiness now for years. We all know that we cannot maintain razors edge readiness forever. The Lord never asked us to be on the edge of our seats every day. He did tell us to be watching and ready.
Recently He has impressed upon me a crucial final piece...REST. While we watch in readiness we are to rest in Him. Can we do that indefinitely? You bet we can. He has been on me for weeks now about this idea of rest. The Lord rested one day out of the week of creation. He ordered the Hebrews to rest on the sabbath. Why? For their own good, for our own good. He knows how we work, He created us.
We must rest. As I am finding out while I walk with the Lord, His ways are not our ways. This almost seems unworkable, but it is workable. Rest while we watch in readiness? YES. We are running a race to the finish line. A pace must be set that is sustainable all the way to the finish line and that will require rest.
I am not going to quote all the places in the bible the Lord teaches us about rest. Please get on your internet bibles and do a keyword search for rest and see what the Lord has said about this very important issue. One word that I must add comes from the Jewish peoples (and us as humans) inability to rest when they were told to. They came up with all kinds of ways not to rest on the sabbath. The sabbath was made for MAN. It is a gift. Not that we are to observe sabbaths now, but we are to rest- that is the point. Here are a few verses to illustrate:
| to whom he said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, "This is the place of repose"--but they would not listen. |
| "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest. |
You must rest? Why? FOR YOUR OWN GOOD...
| for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. |
There are too many to list, please search the Word for yourselves. This is the issue the Lord has impressed me with for weeks.
Be watching and ready to leave this place. The Bridegroom could call for the Bride at any moment. Restraint could be lifted at any moment. Watch in readiness, and do it in Christ in His place of rest.
These are the thoughts this writer has been impressed with. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
