Rest

Psalms 23:2, "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters."

Who would not relish to lie down and rest in green pastures? Better yet, who needs to be MADE TO lie down in one? Reality is we all do. We all need to encounter God so closely that He would command, "lie here with Me and rest a while." This is not only a glorious thought, but a necessity of every Christians life.

In the past week I met with a Pastor who is "burned out" and needing a sabbatical. I could see his pain and confusion by the tears welling up in his eyes. But reality is God is really probably calling him to the place where He makes this pastor lie down in a green pasture. Striving after God, performing and creating programs to increase His kingdom seem noble in cause, and yet if not God's will are pretty useless. In learning to rest in God, we learn to move when He says move. We must overcome our desires to "do" for the sake of our relationship to Him. After all it was Christ who said, "my burden is easy and my yoke is light." So if we are at the point of being "burned out," anxious about what to do next, overwhelmed with the load we currently have, then there is a strong possibility that we are "doing" because we want to, and not because God wants us to.

My faith coach Jim would probably say life is not about "doing" in the first place. It is about "being." That said, if you are going to "be" something. The best place to "be" is with God, and the best thing to "be" is a loving reflection of Him. So if God is at rest. The best place to be is with Him at rest. The second best place to be would be in that place where He makes you rest.

Think about it. What was the first thing God ever had man do? Having created man on the 6th day, the very next day was spent in Sabbath... in resting with God. For man this Sabbath meant no physical labor. But for the spirit, rest is accomplished with or without labor. To rest, to lie down in green pastures can be, and is a state of mind. The soul can be at rest, lying in green pastures regardless of what the body is doing.

Find yourself with nothing to do, in a place of being overwhelmed with the tasks at hand, anxious about tomorrow... then force yourself to allow God to make you lie down. Enjoy some downtime with God - - lie in a green pasture of the spirit.