By F. D. Adkins
Let’s face it. Our normal days are already overfilled with tasks to accomplish. Between work, kids in school, and all the usual household chores, rest is not easy to come by. Then, the excitement of the holidays comes. We start to plan the menu for our perfect feast. We make a grocery list and try to figure out where that twenty-five-pound turkey is going to fit in the refrigerator. After fighting the crowd at the grocery store, the media warns us we better purchase all our Christmas gifts before Black Friday, or we may be out of luck. The next thing we know, Thanksgiving is over. What happened? We were so busy, we missed it. Yeah, we were there. We cooked, we did our share of feasting, we cleaned…, but were we so caught up in the hustle and bustle and robot routine that we missed the opportunity to personally connect with God on a day that was meant for us to reflect on all that He has given us.
Yes, it’s true. We are meant to work. God created Adam and gave him a job to do taking care of the garden of Eden.
- “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Genesis 2:15 KJV
At the same time, our bodies were designed with a need to recharge or rest, not only for physical reasons but also to allow us time to stop and connect with God.
- “Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10 KJV
First, we know God created everything in six days and rested on the seventh day. A time of rest was intended from the beginning.
- “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” Genesis 2:2 KJV
Now, let’s look at the story of Elijah. He destroys the priests of the pagan God Baal after showing God’s power on Mount Carmel by praying for fire. Then, Jezebel wants to have Elijah killed. Elijah goes into the wilderness depressed wanting to die. He falls asleep under a juniper tree. God saw Elijah’s need to recharge. After Elijah had slept, God sent an angel with cake and water, and then He let Elijah sleep again.
- “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.” 1 Kings 19:5-6 KJV
Our enemy wants to keep us tied up in the hustle and bustle. He is aware that if he keeps us busy, we might not stop and spend time with God. We might not get enough rest. If we do not have enough rest, we might not be alert and on guard against his whispers that bring us down. We might just be irritable instead of displaying love.
According to Camille Peri’s article on WebMD.com, “What Lack of Sleep Does to Your Mind,” lack of sleep not only affects one’s ability to cope with stress but also affects one’s mood by causing a person to be irritable or angry.
Even Jesus rested.
- “…Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well…” John 4:6 KJV
Jesus instructed his disciples to rest.
- “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while…” Matthew 6:31 KJV
Let’s not let the hustle and bustle of the holidays keep us from connecting with God. Let’s take the time to rest and be still. Let’s make time to listen to God. In a conversation, we talk, and we listen to someone else talk. When we spend time with God, let’s not spend it all talking. Let’s take time to be still and listen.
- “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” Psalm 62:5 KJV
- “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…” Psalm 37:7 KJV
- “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” Lamentations 3:25 KJV
- “…a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” Ecclesiastes 3:7 KJV
“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
Mark 4:39 KJV
STOP… Be Still… Listen… and be filled with the calming Peace of God.
Sources:
Peri, Camille. “What Lack of Sleep Does to Your Mind.” WebMD, 7 June 2021. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/emotions-cognitive.
