Eventually, I engaged a horse rider who we met at the beach in a chat. He began to explain to us how far a horse could go and the implication of a horse drinking water immediately in the course of a long journey. From the rider’s comment, when a horse travels a long journey, it is best that the horse doesn’t stop to take water immediately before it reaches its final destination. In any case the horse would need to take water, it must have enjoyed enough rest with a feel of having arrived at its destination. On asking what would happen if the horse takes the water immediately, the horse rider said it could be at risk of death or a life threatening disease.
As we left there, I began to think about this in relation to our journey in the faith. Could we say we have entered into a race that demands no rest until we reach the final destination? I know threat of death is not for us who now live by faith, so where could this display of nature as seen in the life of a horse matter to us in this spiritual walk? What was consistent in the thought was about rest.
So, it brought me to seeing that the Christian faith is one replete of two kinds of rest. The death and resurrection of Jesus brought us into a rest that was promised to the fathers of faith, which many of the children of Israel could not enter into because of unbelief. (Heb3:18-19. Inside of Jesus we now have access to the rest, just by believing. The same way God seized from work on the seventh day after creation, Jesus brings us into rest from every works at salvation. After then comes the second rest which comes with a continuous commitment, and this is resting on His works and word.
We are no longer bound by works, but staying true to His word is the continuous work for us now. It is our primary duty not to rest until we see His words fully formed in us. So, we don’t rest while resting on His word. If we take a rest at any point from this, we are at a risk of death.
There is always a natural feeling to want to rest from the race due to situations, pressures all around and circumstances, however, it is a journey of no rest. When you take a rest, you are at risk of a deadly disease. His words can be fully counted on, but, it takes a total believing heart not to take a rest from it. Sarah got to a point she took a rest from resting on His word and it gave birth to a trouble she could not handle. There is always a cost when a man takes a rest from resting on His word. We can’t rest, His word is our heritage.
The young prophet heard God clearly on where to go and what to do in the book of 1kings 13. He had God’s command to deliver a message to the king. The command of God to him came with some words of instruction which was that he should neither drink nor eat in the land and also not to return to his town, Judah, through the same route he came.
The prophet demonstrated God’s power and the King, Jeroboam, saw that he is truly a prophet from God. The king then offered the young prophet a meal, he immediately refuted because he knew the instruction God had given him. He didn’t rest because he was at rest on God’s word. Even though the king had come to respect him as a prophet of God. Instead of sitting to be honored, he honored God’s word as against the good feeling of being celebrated.
He then started his journey back home. While he was taking a rest under a tree, an old prophet approached him. The old prophet offered the young prophet a meal and he immediately repeated what God had told him, refusing the offer to eat and rest at the old prophet’s house. However, the old prophet lied to the young prophet that an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to go home with the young prophet so as to give him water and food. Immediately, the young prophet went with him.
Eventually, after the meal, he heard the voice of God, chastising him for disobedience and that ended in the young prophet losing his life. He rested. Was that reason for resting from the command of God not tenable enough? Nothing is legal enough to make you take a rest from resting on His word.
You will always have a point you feel like taking a rest from the journey of believing. Prayer becomes unappealing; study of the word, annoying; fellowship becomes so unnecessary, having examined your life with no viable physical proofs of the proclaimed faith.
How do you keep confessing prosperity when for a whole year, your bank account has only known recession? How do you keep believing when you are on the hunt for a job for two years with age and time passing out on you? Everyone feels you are now overdue to find a marriage partner and you still stick with trusting God? Waiting can be messy! Even Jesus got to this point, and he wished the cup would pass over but the only solution from death is staying true on the Father’s word.
Nothing is justifiable enough to stop you from believing what God has said He would do even when everything to give birth to it according to your knowledge is dead. He always comes true to those who don’t rest resting on His word!
There is a death to eternal rising, it is in resting in His word. When you rest from His word, it is a death with no rising.
Don’t rest resting on His word!
Be Innovated
Olufemi Ibitoye.
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