One of the most powerful symbols of trust is rest. If we trust someone, we do not always have to be active, always doing something. We are prepared to rest in their presence, to cease our activity, to put ourselives in a vulnerable position because we are confident they will not harm us when our guard is down.
Resting is almost impossible if fear, anxiety and worry are present in our lives. It’s one reason sleep often becomes ellusive when our mental health is not good. Conversely, if we are at peace with ourselves, our situations and with God, then rest is less troublesome.
The Bible has much to say about the importance of rest in connection to trust. Ps 116:7 speaks of returning to our soul’s rest, giving us reasons we can do this: ‘for the Lord has been good to you.’ The psalmist remembers God’s deliverance from death, tears and stumbling (Ps 116:3-4, 8); he remembers God’s goodness to him. (Ps 116:12) In Psalm 131, David speaks of calming and quieting himself as he urges Israel to ‘put your hope in the Lord, both now and forever.’ In Ps 62:1, 5, we read of finding rest in God alone; Jesus spoke about finding rest for our souls when we come to Him, lay our burdens at His feet and exchange our yoke of slavery for His easy yoke. (Matt 11:28-30)
The temptation to forego rest in lieu of impressive-looking activity will always be with us. Prayer takes us to the place of rest, of contemplation, to the daily (hourly?) need to let go of our activity in order to hide ourselves in God and immerse ourselves in His truths, to exchange our doing for trusting.The battle is not ours; it belongs to God. Moses was told, ‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ (Ex 14:14) Stop… rest… be refreshed. God has it all in hand.
