When
we rest in the Lord
Don’t
Sweat It, Rest!
Ruth
3:18
18Then
she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out;
for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”
God
does not want you to “sweat”. Sweat here does not refer to your body’s
perspiration, but your self-reliance or self-effort. God does not want you to
believe that if you don’t do anything, nothing will happen. That may be true
for someone without God in his life, but it is not true for you because you
have God. And when He is in the picture, the God-factor changes everything!
When
you are resting in God, He works for you. In fact, when He works, you end up
with more. He is the one who is giving to you. It is not about you trying to
give to yourself.
This
was what happened to Ruth in the Old Testament. After laboring in the barley
fields from morning to evening, she was able to glean one ephah of barley (Ruth
2:17), which was equivalent to a 10-day supply of barley. Certainly, this
amount was a blessing to her.
But
when she rested at the feet of Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer, and did not labor,
she received six ephahs of barley (Ruth 3:15), which was equivalent to a 60-day
supply! When Ruth sought her own blessing, she obtained only one ephah. But
when she sought the blesser, she received much more.
Ruth’s
blessings did not stop there. While Ruth rested and sat still as her
mother-in-law Naomi had instructed, Boaz, who was the owner of the barley
field, went to work, initiating actions, executing them and speaking on Ruth’s
behalf. Right through it all, Ruth sat still and rested. Eventually, Boaz, the
barley man himself, married Ruth. (Ruth 4) That meant no more measured wealth
of six ephahs, but the yield of the whole barley field in total!
Boaz
is a picture of Jesus, our heavenly kinsman-redeemer. When we rest in the Lord,
He will not rest. He will work on our behalf. What do we do then? We just trust
in and enjoy His love for us.
Beloved,
stop striving and be at rest. If salvation, the greatest work, comes to us by
resting in Jesus’ finished work, how much more will all the other blessings?
May GOD bless Nigeria, America
and Israel and take care of us; May GOD make His face shine upon us, And be
gracious to us; May the LORD lift up His countenance upon us, And give us
peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!
May the grace the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you
all. Amen!
Worldwide Prayer Haven 