‘for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.’ (vv10–11) Hebrews 4:6–13
One of Jesus’ promises is that in turning to Him we receive rest (Matt. 11:28). A quick Google search reveals the rapid rise in anxiety.
Many who experience Long Covid report a degree of personal anxiety that they hadn’t previously known. The media reports an increasing antidepressant use.
Scripture encourages us with God’s promise of rest, both physical and psychological. Jesus invites us to learn to draw on the eternal rest that is already ours through redemption. The rise in the uptake of Christian retreats indicates a hunger for understanding how we can learn to take better care of our life through prayer and contemplation.
One reason we are encouraged to set aside a day a week to be free of our regular work pattern is so that we can reflect on the futility of activity, given God’s gift of peace (John 14:27). It’s a precursor of our eternal inheritance, and we nurture that rest through reading God’s Word daily and waiting on Him in prayer.
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Exod. 23:10–13; Psa. 127; Mark 2:23–28; Matt. 8:23–27.
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, I thank you that I have entered into Your rest and pray that I might learn to pause and lean on You in times of anxiety. In Jesus’ name, Amen.‘
