REST isn’t a bonus add-on, a reward for strong faith or prize for repelling unrest. It’s a free gift embedded in our relationship with Christ and is as perfect and permanent as the nature of the Giver. Of course, our actual experience of that rest is less than perfect (some days more imperfect than others). Life happens, we react, and so become the anxious, afraid or stressed people we don’t want to be.

We can all identify with the singer calling his soul back into rest after his storm (Psalm 116:7). But what we really want is to stay at rest during the storm. Being yoked to Christ means we are no longer bonded to a life of unrest. His Spirit of grace is present to enable our journey of growing in his restfulness. The LORD told Moses, My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. (Ex 33:14). In Christ that blessing expands: he has drawn us into his restfulness and is constantly present to enlarge our experience of it.

Rest affects personal well-being, but also becomes a public display board, a witness of our trust in what the Lord has said about himself and about us.

Our rescue by Christ is complete, but unpacking salvation’s fullness is ongoing. Conversion didn’t automatically make restfulness our default mode for living; it’s a choice we make (or rather, keep making). It’s our deliberate response to the size of God with us – to the dimensions of his love, wisdom, power, goodness, etc. for us.

We’ve been designed to live best in rest. And it’s where we are the most effective as breakthrough pray-ers (see previous post NEW thing & COUNTER thing). Resting in God has an authority that makes a difference in our praying.

We’ve been given breakthrough asking rights. That is, God has connected the outworking of his Purpose (and plans that serve Purpose) to his people asking for it. But it’s crucial that we do our asking from rest. Resting in God has authority because it displays agreement with him. That trust-rest has a devastating impact on Dark strongholds founded on disagreement with him (2 Cor. 10:4, 5). It would be good to see how King David handles praying at war yet staying in rest. Perhaps next time….but for now, let’s visit a group of his singers, the sons of Korah.

They are in a crisis. Together with King David, they had been forced to run from a life-threatening rebellion. As refugees in the desert, they sing about their storm…. and find rest in it. In Psalm 42, we see them:

• Talking to themselves (a healthy spiritual habit). They remind themselves they actually have no valid reason for unrest – after all, God has proved himself to be their Saviour (5, 11). Rest has space for questions and complaint (lament), but never at the expense of trust (9-11).
• Telling God of their choice (although he already knows, it’s good to voice it): in their storm they choose to set their minds on him (6).
• Celebrating what the Lord says about himself – in this case, his constant love for them. They do more than reflect, they sing it as a prayer. It is, after all, his song, put in them to be prayed back to him (8)

As you look at your breakthrough asking point (see my previous two posts), focus on the authority of your rest in God. If you need to, revisit the singers in Psalm 42 and follow their rest-footprints ……. although, in Christ, we do get to take larger steps.

Another recent post about BREAKTHROUGH prayer: Asking God for a NEW THING

How many Buddhists are there in the world? It depends on who is counting. Some cast the net wide to include all streams and forms of Buddhism, and arrive at 1.6 billion. In China, for example, many embrace a folk religion that includes aspects of Buddhism, Taoism...

Habakkuk is a herald of coming disaster. The Babylonian invasion of Judah would bring death, desolation and captivity. Jerusalem would be ravaged and its temple ruined. He is in lament mode and has reason to be. But the prophet’s complaints and questions (chap 1-2)...

Jesus’ disciples were attracted to his prayer life, so they asked him to coach them. He started immediately, and in lesson one put the Kingdom at the top of the wants list (Luke 11:1). Admiration prayers are a priority, but they must overflow into missional praying:...

Ever since veil tearing day, the Spirit has been pointing people to the Throne. Our right to Throne access isn’t a gift of coupons for occasional visits. Access is a permanent, high-priced living space (costing Christ’s life) where prayer is a lifestyle response to...

Earlier this week I returned from a church camp (mostly young gen) in North Thailand where the theme was ‘Hunger for God’s Glory’. They did more than listen and take notes; they put words and actions to their hunger for him. Anyone with a...

A shuffling sound woke me. Sandra and our three small children were asleep; the only noise was the whirr of the ceiling fan…and the shuffling sound. I jumped up, looked through the window onto the gated driveway below and saw three figures moving around our vehicle....

Lines get moved and boundary markers are explained away. Wrong is called right and the impure becomes normal. There is pressure to conform; to step back into the crowd and blend in. But that means losing our set-apart identity and being reflectors of the world rather...

When bad people prosper, don’t envy them; their time in the sun will end. That’s the opening line of one of David’s song. OK, that gives perspective, but is there some help on dealing with the ‘bad things’ that happen to God’s good people? There is. As Psalm 37 plays...

Most of us believe the right things about prayer, but our score in doing it isn’t great. Unfortunately we can become so accustomed to it that we no longer mind the gap. The space between prayer beliefs and practice is unlikely to disappear completely, but learning...

His peaceful life was broken by a violent storm that swept away all that he loved and valued. Job had no idea that he was at the centre of a satanic challenge to God’s honour, and of the far-reaching consequences of his journey through the storm. In pain and grief,...