Hebrews 4:1 KJV
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
It is not God’s will for you to be anxious, worried, and weighed down! This is actually the very opposite of God’s plan for your life. It is God’s will that every Christian live in a state of God’s rest. This is a message that has always been very challenging to me. While I am fully aware of God’s will, it has always been very easy for me to get worked up with all that’s going on in my life. Before I know it, my peace is gone and rest is nowhere to be found. When I get to this place, I realize I need to make some adjustments in my heart and mind.
The Webster’s Dictionary defines rest as “peace of mind or spirit, free of anxieties or disturbances, or to remain confident.” We see in our text above that God has given us a promise of this rest. We also see that it’s entirely possible to come short of it.
Hebrews 3:19 says, “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” This is in reference to the Children of Israel. God prepared them a physical land that was very rich and blessed. All they had to do was go in and possess it. They distrusted God and forfeited this place God had prepared for them.
Hebrews 4:3 says, “For we which have believed do enter into rest…” The Children of Israel were to rest in the promise land by faith. We are to rest in the promises by faith! Their’s was a physical land, ours is a spiritual state that effects every area of our lives.
How do I enter into this rest that God has promised me? My rest is found in my faith in what God has promised me in His word! My rest is found in my faith in the finished work of Christ! If I know that God has provided me something through Christ, I have placed my faith in it as present possession, the result will be rest! After all, if I truly believe that I receive what God has promised, what is there to worry about?
While you may be in a storm today that is threatening your peace, keep your faith in the promises of God! Peace and rest is available, even in the storms of life, as we simply keep our faith in the promises of God!
