I’m not a good “rester.” Never have been. My mom couldn’t get me to take naps. I’ve always stayed up late, and when I don’t, I wake up early. Rest does not come naturally.

    As I child, I thought it was my job to fill two seats at the same time. As an adult, one computer with four or five windows open isn’t enough; I usually work with two or three computers on with six or seven windows open on each at the same time. If I’m not careful, I find myself driven by some mad force to not miss out on anything. At times, when trying to sit still, I find myself feeling like I’m going to explode.

    My son spent a career day running around with me several years ago. As I saw my “efficiency” through his eyes (“My dad doesn’t waste a single minute. He’s always doing something, even when he is in line or waiting.”) I realized how crazy I can become trying to “do something productive” with every spare moment of my time.

    I have come to recognize that a mad dash to fill life with motion and light doesn’t necessarily fill it with meaning. In fact, God doesn’t want me to fill all the vacant moments of my days with activity and to fill every pause of silence with noise. God calls me to rest. He wants me to rest secure in his grace. He wants me to rest physically from my labor. He wants me to rest from my worries, pressures, and busy-ness. In fact, God calls me to be productive in my rest. How? By really resting — not worrying about things to do or places to be and not resting to be productive but to see rest as a productive activity of grace.

Meaning isn’t found in cramming every square inch of our life with activity.

    Jesus knew what it meant to rest as worship. He spent time in the presence of God, alone, and in prayer. (Luke 5:15-16) He shared these times with his disciples. (Luke 9:28) Some of his most important teaching was centered on these times of withdrawal. (Luke 9:18; 11:1-13) He provided times of rest for his disciples, protecting them from the pressures of the crowd. (Mark 6:31) He promised to take our burdens if we would take up his yoke. (Matthew 11:28-29) He reminded his disciples that the Sabbath was a day of rest and healing for God’s people. (Mark 2:27) Jesus’ teaching, of course, was built upon the principles of Sabbath rest in the Old Testament — one day a week given to rest for our families, our animals, our associates, and us. It wasn’t intended as a gift of burden, but of grace.

    God doesn’t want our life to be a frantic dash through mayhem. Meaning isn’t found in cramming every square inch of our life with activity. So often our frantic lives steal from us the very things God made us to enjoy. After all, we were made us to enjoy relationship with God, with each other, and with his creation. So as we travel through this week, let’s listen to our Father’s voice and let it sooth our striving spirit and calm our racing hearts. We rest in his grace. We rest in his presence. We rest in his will. We rest because he chose to rest one day per week. If God, the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe saw the importance of rest, how dare we make our busy-ness our idol of supreme importance in our days?

    I hope you will listen for God’s voice in the articles and Scriptures and songs he brings before you this week. Pause. Be still. Listen. Rest.

    Rejoice in the Lord who cares about your frantic heart and longs to still your restlessness strivings with his gracious rest.

Title: "Sit Still?"
Author: Phil Ware
Publication Date: April 23, 2001

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