I wrote a poem yesterday (see below) about Hebrews 4, the chapter that invites one to rest. Coming from a season of learning to rest, a Sabbatical year, the word rest and I have history. I have struggled to accept it, rejected it, craved it, embraced it, and protected it. We have had our moments. Words like do, worry and anxiety, achieve, and succeed independently have equally fought for my attention. Yet, rest remains my sanctuary, a known place to weather the storm. That is, to rest in Jesus. For rest is as physical for me as it is spiritual. Our bodies need sleep, and our souls need peace; both, I find, equate to rest.
When I rest in Jesus, I know peace.
“Peace I leave with you;
John 14:27
my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.“
Rest in the bible is an exchange, a letting go and letting God, an act of faith. It is as hard as you can imagine, to trust, and surrender your life to a holy being that you cannot see. Yet, that is the cost for this rest, this peace. To trust in Him whose wisdom exceeds far beyond our understanding.
“You keep him in perfect peace
Isaiah 26:3
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.“
With such uncertainty in these times, with wave after wave of crises, many crave this inner peace now more than ever. And the good news is there remains this place of rest, where the body and mind can be in the midst of a battle and the soul still, at peace. Imagine.
Hebrews 4 is one of those chapters that is full of communal invitations, principally, to ensure we find this rest. “Let us strive… Let us confidently draw near… Let us fear… Let us hold fast our confession.” This chapter feels to me like the author assumes his readers are of a separate group, the obedient ones, who will find rest compared to the others, the disobedient, who also heard the news but did not find rest. It’s like he is saying, “Hey, pay attention. Those others didn’t listen, and they missed something good and wonderful, but you aren’t them, right? No, of course not. So, come, let’s strive to enter this rest together. There is still time. There is still hope for you. There is still today.“
Dear reader, with this in mind, likewise, I invite you to rest today. Come with me as I hold on to the only One I know who can make sense of chaos, who is mightier than all rulers of the earth, who can make a way when there seems to be no way. Jesus, the God of hope.
Come, there is still today.
Till the next chapter,
Katya
Today
Let us rest
With hearts
Softened, still
On the seventh
As God
From all His works
By faith
Let us rest
Today
Let us hear
Attentively
With intentions
To obey
His voice
By faith
Let us hear
Today
Let us fear
And obey
Him, whom
We must give account
While the promise
Still stands
To enter
Into rest
By faith
Let us fear
Today
Let us seek
The word of God
Living
Active
Sharper than
A two-edged sword
Piercing
Dividing
Soul and spirit
Joints and bones
Discerning
Thoughts, Intentions
Of the heart
By faith
Let us seek
Today
Let us persevere
Clining to our
Hope
Jesus
High Priest
Son of God
Tempted as us
Yet without sin
Who passed
Through the heavens
By faith
Let us persevere
Today
Let us draw near
To the throne of
Grace
Confident
We may receive
Mercy, grace
In time of need
From our
High Priest
By faith
Let us draw near
Today
Let us unite
For no creature
Is hidden from
His sight
Let God see
Us, in unity
Resting
Hearing
Fearing
Seeking
Persevering
Drawing near
By faith
In Christ
Let us unite
Today
