Just Get Some Rest!
It’s funny that one of my favorite Bible verses, John 14:27, mentions the word “heart”. You see, I had a heart attack a couple of weeks ago, and that is one verse that I have been continually going back to. The KJV reads,
“Let not your heart be troubled: neither let it be afraid.”
In this instance in the book of John, Jesus was speaking to his disciples, but as for every Christian in the world, when we read the words of Jesus Christ it is as clear and personal for us today as it was for the disciples 2000 years ago. Jesus is speaking to us through the Bible and the Holy Spirit, but the meaning of his words and the directions have not changed, nor will they ever.
I found out this week that there are many factors that can cause a heart attack. Being that I am only 34 years old, I guess I never thought of the damage that I was doing to my body with what I was putting into it. I mean, I am not overweight, I am not diabetic, I am not in bad shape (having 5 kids keeps some form of healthiness I thought), I did not have real high blood pressure (just a little bit), I did not have real high cholesterol (just a little bit), I cut way back on my smoking and smoked a lot less than I used to (I smoked just a little bit), I was unsure of my real family history in regards to heart problems, I knew there were some issues there (but just a little bit). All of that being said, there are a lot of “little bitty” factors that can cause a heart attack, and they did.
Now I am in the minority of people my age, under 35, I’ve had a heart attack, 2 stints placed in my heart, on 7 medications, a very heart healthy diet and exercise routine is critical for my life, I am very tired, need an afternoon nap, somewhat irritable, somewhat scared, well, I guess a lot scared now.
My wife, Heather, is scared also. How much I should walk, avoid the stairs, don’t go get the newspaper alone, watch your meds and take them all, she is concerned of her cooking for me, that I eat right, that I rest enough, that the kids don’t bother me, that the kids aren’t too loud around me, that I exercise soon, but not too soon because I need to rest now. Heather is scared, and Heather is tired.
“Let not your heart be troubled.”
These are words of hope, and rest. Rest is something that everyone is telling me that I need. Rest, rest, rest. My doctors told me this, my nurses, my mother, my employer, my friends, and of course, Heather. She needs me to rest, she loves me.
“Just get some rest” I heard time and time again. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?
But it is hard to “rest” after a heart attack. There is a lot going on in the heart, but more so in the mind.
Rest, rest, rest. It’s one thing to be told what you need to do, it’s another thing completely to be shown where the answer is.
Let’s take a look at 3 types of rest: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual, and begin by examining the physical first.
I. Physical Rest
The physical rest I can attest to first hand of its importance. I know that I have needed it this last week, as everyone has continually told me so. But what is real ‘rest’?
Rest is defined as “a cessation of all work, activity, or motion”. Sounds like a vacation, doesn’t it? But have you ever been on a vacation that was supposed to be a cessation of all work and activity only to get back home and realize that you needed a vacation from your vacation? Rest can be hard work sometimes if not done properly.
Physical rest is completely letting your body replenish itself, it’s letting others do things for you normally you would do on your own. It’s about saying “No” occasionally when you are asked for a favor instead of always saying “yes”. It’s about lying on the couch, sleeping a little later, letting some minor tasks get a little behind or rescheduled for another day. All of this sounds pretty good doesn’t it? But it is difficult to do when you are not used to doing it. It is hard to rest when you are not used to getting that physical rest.
The book of I Samuel chapter 30:1-10 (NIV)
1: And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2: And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3: So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4: Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5: And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6: And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
7: And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
8: And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
9: So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
10: But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
Talk about needing some rest! Here David and his men come to Ziglag and find that their homes have been burned, and their families have been kidnapped! David is livid and cried until they had no strength left at all. They had already been marching for 3 days to get back home, and then this was what they found. Have you ever cried so much that you had no strength left? What is there left to do at that point?
Well, 200 of David’s men decided that they were too tired to go after the Amalekits, they were too tired to go after their sons and daughters and wives and personal belongings that this raiding party had came in and stolen from them. So they stayed at the brook Besor to rest, while the rest of the men went to fight and reclaim their families for them. Thankfully, David was leading the men who went to fight the Amalekits. David was just as tired and in need of rest as any of the other men, probably more so from just a physical aspect. But verse 6 tells us exactly how David had the gumption to lead his men across the stream to go into battle, as well as having the wisdom to leave 200 men on the other side of the stream to rest, for you see “David found strength in the Lord his God.”
Finding physical rest is not really as it sounds like it should be, but through the Lord our God, our physical needs will always be cared for, just as David’s and his men were by brook Besor.
II. Mental Rest
The next element of rest I would like to address is mental rest. Have you ever gotten a good night’s sleep and then woke in the morning to find that you still felt exhausted? Or maybe you could never even go to sleep because your mind was racing a mile a minute? Both of these examples deal with an issue where the body needs the physical restoration, but the mind does not allow this to happen. To rest the body we must first allow the mind to rest. And with all that you have going on daily with work, school, paying the bills, running errands, figuring out whose going to voted off Big Brother this week, how do you allow your mind to rest? You can’t. Well, let me propose that you can’t do it alone. One of the most peaceful and restful and relaxing chapters of the Book of Psalms is one that today we associate more with funerals than with giving rest. But let me read it to you. Close your eyes, put all thoughts out of your mind, relax, rest, and listen to God’s word:
1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Mental rest is being able to know that you are not in control of anything. Now, of course, that takes some getting used to also. We like to think we are in control of everything, but we’re not, and the sooner that we realize only God is in control and we should be turning over all of our burdens and problems and worries to Him, then we can release the mental stress and let God take care of it. And God can take care of whatever stress we have, the things that seem too big for us to handle are miniscule to the creator of the universe. Just let go, lie down in the green pastures and walk beside the still waters, maybe even take a dip in brook Besor. And in the shadow of death, whether that be an operating room, a chemo treatment, an inner battle of addiction, a dead end job, feeling like you just have too much on you, or whatever your shadow may be, go to God for comfort in those times. He is there for you, ready to bless you abundantly and shower you with goodness and mercy for all the days of your life.
Your mental rest is ready for you, along with the peace that goes with it. As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:7
7: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
You don’t have to understand how it all works to get the mental rest that you need, you just have to have the faith that God can deliver and will guard your heart and mind. I like that idea of Jesus Christ guarding my heart right about now.
III. Spiritual Rest
Now, what about when your body is prepared to rest, your mind is cleared and ready to rest, but you still can’t get any rest. “What am I supposed to do now? Is the little purple pill the only alternative?” Well, there is a different answer, and only one that you may need to get the results you desire. I said earlier there were 3 types of rest I wanted to discuss: physical, mental, and spiritual. Well, here is the third type of rest, just as important as the other two, but probably the most overlooked. Jesus had a very clear message regarding our need for rest. While teaching in the towns of Galilee Jesus told his followers in Matthew 11:28-30:
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Rest for your souls, now that’s a satisfying rest! And that rest can only be found through our Lord Jesus, but you have to do something before you will get that soulful rest, it is not just dropped on you in the middle of the night like a heavenly sleeping pill. Jesus says in verse 28, you have to come to Him. If you seek this rest, this peace, you have to go to Him and get it, and then He will give it to you. It is found only in Him, only He can give it, and freely give it He does, to those that only ask for it. It is part of all that He has already promised us: eternal life, salvation, deliverance from sin, all of these things we know are ours since we are his children, but the peace and rest are waiting for us also, if we will only ask. Then with the spiritual rest and comfort the mental and physical rest will fall into place as they should, just as God has perfectly planned for all this to really work, to all work to His Glory.
And just as David wrote in 116th Psalm:
Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
The Lord has been good to you, hasn’t he? The Lord has been good to me. He has allowed me to get some rest that I have needed, and be prepared for what He has in store for me, for more blessings that He is prepared to pour out on me, for more good works that He is expecting of me, for more faith and testimony that He is waiting for from me, as long as I am rested and ready, which finally I am.
Are you? Just get some rest this week, and be prepared for what God has in store for you when you are ready.
