Finding True Rest

Psalm 62
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”
This Psalm starts by declaring “1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” Most experts believe that David wrote this psalm during one of the most trying times of his life. His son (Absalom) had tried to usurp his throne. He was exiled from Jerusalem, hunted by his enemies and in constant peril for his life. Yet he could avow that his soul found rest in God alone!

The concept of rest is multi-faceted depending on the context. In Deuteronomy 12:10 “10 But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety.” It refers to rest for the nation of Israel in the land promised to them by God. In Genesis 47:30 “30 but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.” It refers to the final rest of death. In Leviticus 23:3 “3 “‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD.” It refers to a weekly day of rest on the Sabbath

The Bible speaks of missing the rest that God promises us. In Deuteronomy 12:8-9 “8 You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit, 9 since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.” The people were in peril of losing their “rest” because they were doing whatever they desired. In Psalm 95:11 “11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” Because the people rebelled against God, God took from them the one thing they wanted most, to rest in a land that they could call home. It is God’s desire that none should perish (Ref. 2 Peter 3:9); but here will be some who stubbornly refuse to turn to God and receive from Him what He desires most to give them; to be at peace and safe with Him.

The human body needs rest to recuperate from the aches and pains (physical and emotional) of everyday life. That we have to work hard for what we have is a direct result of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden where God declared in Genesis 3:17-19 “17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” God created us to fellowship with Him but Adam disobeyed and man has had to work hard ever since.

There is no part of our life that is free from toil; from our daily job to raising a family, all avenues are full of struggles and hardships. Life can be exhausting with daily worries about health, work. Family, finances and so on. We need rest so that we can be restored and to be able to withstand the onslaught of the enemy.

Our own lives can burden us as believers. We are never free from sin and the enemy confronts us and accuses us because of our sin. He desires that we collapse under a burden of guilt and shame because of our sin. We find ourselves seeking the rest that God gives because we know that in this life we will continue to fall. 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” We restlessly wait for that heavenly body.

Our true rest is a spiritual, eternal rest. It is a rest where we can be free of the burdens and turmoil of this physical life. Our true rest is in God alone! David describes God in Psalm 62 in several ways. In verse 1, He is his salvation. In Verse 2, He is his fortress. In verse 5, He is his hope and in verse 7, He is his refuge. The ability to enter into this rest from God is still available to us as stated in Hebrews 4:1 “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.”

We can have peace in our lives when we place our trust in Him through Christ Jesus and have confidence that He will bring us through to our promised rest. Jesus invites us all in Matthew 11:28 “28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” There is nothing that we need to do but trust Him! Then and only then can we have true eternal rest as stated in Revelation 14:13 “13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

If you are stressed and feel overwhelmed by life; Jesus is extending His hand to you, saying “Come and I will give you rest!” Don’t struggle with burdens that are too big to handle! Give them to Jesus and receive His rest.

In Christ,
John