Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him (Psalms 37:7a)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)Note the word guard in Philippians 4:7 refers to a garrison. Imagine a garrison stationed to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
God provided perfect inner peace for every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. The basis of the peace is our relationship with Christ. We belong to the royal family of God because we trusted Christ for salvation.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9)We are in union with Christ.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)We currently possess many divine assets guaranteed for all eternity.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3)As a believer, you share everything Christ is and everything Christ has.
and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8:17)Yet few take advantage of the blessings God has given them. Many are so busy seeking happiness, so busy hustling around to find satisfaction and fulfillment; they overlook one of the great principles in the Word of God. There is a place of inner peace, happiness, and strength, a place of stability, power, and impact within the grasp of every Christian. Despite difficult circumstances, despite pressures, testings, or problems, believers can have the “peace of God which surpasses all comprehension.”
Sometimes, the Scriptures call the place of peace “rest”.
Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. (Hebrews 4:1)It is not to be confused with a seventh day of rest
'Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:3)
'You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:30)Or a sabbatical year
"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the LORD. (Leviticus 25:2)
but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. (Leviticus 25:4)This is a moment-by-moment rest—a place of blessing and power in the middle of the adversities of life. God intended for every believer to trust Him continuously. Yet many believers never utilize the grace provision of God, even though it is available to all.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3)
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (Ephesians 1:18)If, as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have trusted Him for the big thing—salvation
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)Can you now trust Him for the little things—your daily needs?
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32)Sending His own Son to the cross to bear your sins was the greatest provision God ever made for you
and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)If He did the most for you at the cross, will He stop doing things for you now? If He did the most for you when, as an unbeliever, you were His enemy
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:10)It follows that He will supply you needs now that you are his child.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)Many Christians have heard the erroneous statement, “Just receive Christ as Savior, and all your problems will be solved.” If you have accepted this illusion, you are in for a shock! You have not lived until you have been in a desperate situation, where there is nothing you can say or do, where you are so stunned from the onslaught of catastrophe that you can barely even pray. Eventually, God brings every person to the end of his or her own human resources. Yet Jesus said:
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)With God, there are no hopeless situations. There is hope for everyone. For the unbeliever: Believe in Jesus Christ. For the believer: Learn Bible doctrine—listen to the teaching of the Word of God. Bible doctrine is the means by which you can stabilize your life and resolve every problem, sorrow, disappointment, and failure.
Are you aware that you cannot become the spiritually mature believer God wants you to be unless your faith is tested along the way? One of the most gracious things God does is to allow difficulties and hardships. In this way, you can learn to lean on Him rather than on your own ways and means.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)By faith, you can claim the promise of others like it and move into the moment-by-moment rest. This is the faith-rest life.
Take from Christian at Ease! By R. B. Thieme, Jr.
