Please Stay Seated

The Lord has had me focused on the concept of resting in Him lately, so I wanted to share some of what He’s been sharing with me.

First, the ultimate example of rest in the Bible is Jesus.

In 1 Peter 2:23, we are told that while on trial before the religious leaders, Pilate and Herod, He did not defend Himself.

Rather, He kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.

He knew that in the only court room that matter, He would be judged rightly.

He entrusted Himself to the only Judge that matters.

The word entrust is a word of rest.

When I illustrate this with clients in my office, I point out to them that they are doing nothing to sat seated in the chair that they occupy.

They are not having to work at or think about staying seated.

They are entrusting themselves to the chair and resting in it.

In the same way, we are seated in Christ at the right hand of the Father.

This is a position of rest and of authority.

We don’t have to work at attaining or maintaining this position.

We are IN Christ.

His rest, His authority, His victory is ours already.

This is why He beckons people:

“come, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  (Matthew 11:28)

What hinders our experience of His rest?  Unbelief.

The author of Hebrews elaborates on God’s rest in chapter 4 of his letter.

Faith is the key to experiencing His rest.

It takes faith to sit in a chair.

When you choose to sit down, you believe the chair will hold you up otherwise you would not sit in it.

God is far more faithful than a chair, beloved!

Unbelief is what robs us of our rest in Him.

Instead of resting, we will find ourselves striving or worse yet, wrestling with God.

How did that work for Jacob?

That whole night both He and Jesus wanted the same thing… Jesus wanted to bless Jacob, but Jacob wanted the blessing on his terms…to be the one in control.

Jesus could not bless him until he entrusted himself to Jesus.

Unfortunately, it took putting his hip out to make that happen.

It was only then that he had no choice but to cling in dependence on Jesus that he rested.

He was a different man from that day on.

His name was changed to Israel….Prince of God.

Beloved, ask God to show you where you are not functioning in faith; where you are not entrusting yourself to Him.

Then, ask Him to show you the lie you are believing that is keeping you from resting in Him.

Ask Him what truth He will give you in exchange for that lie, then make the exchange and enter into His rest.

Blessings!

Robyn Henning