Rest in Christ
Rest for the Restless
The flight had been uneventful until the moment the captain announced from the flight deck that the plane would have to cross a major storm. “Please tighten your seat belts. We will be in for quite a ride,” the voice from the cockpit said in ending the announcement.
Image © Pacific Press
Soon after, the plane began to shake violently as it fought its way through the storm. Overhead bins opened; people sat tense in their seats. After a particularly violent shudder of the plane, someone shrieked in the back of the plane. Images of a wing breaking off and the plane careening to the earth flashed through a few minds. All passengers looked tense and fearful. All, except a little girl seated in the front row of economy. She was busy drawing a picture on the open tray table before her. Now and again she would look out the small window at a particularly impressive lightning strike, but then she would calmly resume her drawing.
After what seemed half an eternity, the plane finally landed at its destination. Passengers cheered and clapped, so grateful and relieved to be back on the ground. The little girl had packed her bag and was waiting for people to leave the plane when one of the travelers asked her if she hadn’t been afraid. How could she be that calm during such a major storm and with the plane shaking so much?
“I wasn’t scared,” the little girl said to the surprised man. “My dad is the pilot, and I knew he was taking me home.”
Restlessness and fear often go hand in hand. Living in a world that keeps most people busy 24/7 can result in restlessness and fear in our lives. Who doesn’t, at times, struggle with fear, with worry, with dread of what the future holds? The past is done, the present is now, but the future is full of questions, and in this unstable world the answers might not be what we want to hear. We wonder if we will be able to make a looming deadline, to cover the next rent or school payment, to make our struggling marriages survive another storm. We wonder if God can continue to love us, even though we “disappoint” Him again and again.
In this quarter, we will tackle some of those fears head on. Rest in Christ is not just a title for a study guide or a captivating logo of an evangelistic campaign or camp meeting. Resting in Christ is the key to the promise of the type of life that Jesus promises to His followers: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10, NKJV).
As the authors worked on this study guide, they suddenly realized the all-pervasiveness of the concept of rest in the texture of biblical theology. Rest connects to salvation, to grace, to creation, to the Sabbath, to our understanding of the state of the dead, to the soon coming of Jesus — and to so much more.
When Jesus invited us to come and find rest in Him (Matt. 11:28), He addressed not only His disciples or the early Christian church. He saw future generations of sin-sick, weary, worn-out, struggling human beings who needed access to the source of rest. As you study the weekly lessons during this quarter, remember to come, and rest in Him. After all, our heavenly Father is in control and is ready to bring us home safely.
Chantal and Gerald Klingbeil enjoy a cross-cultural marriage and working as a team. Chantal, an associate director of the Ellen G. White Estate, hails from South Africa, while Gerald, an associate editor of Adventist Review Ministries and research professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Andrews University, was born and raised in Germany.
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What a powerful illustration of resting and trusting in the Father's ability to "carry us" all the way home just like the Good Shepherd. The central focus of the Sabbath is the Lord's invitation for us to "cease from our labors" and "enter His rest". Ultimately, there are just two groups of people in the world--those who are resting in Jesus and those who aren't. What a powerful introduction this is to the quarterly.
There are 2 ways you can approach this quarter’s study.
One ways is to think you already know about rest and Sabbath and so on. After all, you may well have heard about or ‘dealt’ with these topics many times before. Surely, there isn’t really much more you could learn that you don’t already know, is there?
Another way is to acknowledge that perhaps you’ve already heard about or ‘dealt’ with these topics over and over - and perhaps doing so has led you to becoming ‘too familiar’ that you unintentionally miss seeing more than you have already seen.
Did the authors not see this before because they were ‘newbies’ or perhaps lazy or careless?
There is a saying that ‘familiarity breeds content’. And there is truth to this saying - as you may well know by reflecting on your own experience/s. Your brain tries to conserve energy as much as possible and as a consequence of this tendency, it most readily ‘defaults’ to acceptance rather than re-examination of previously-held assumptions. You can’t stop up your brain following this principle because it is driven by areas of your brain that operate below conscious awareness. This tendency (at least in part) explains why we sometimes ‘can’t see the forrest for the trees’.
However you can be aware of this tendency and, armed with such awareness, consciously and intentionally choose to re-look at familiar things more carefully - with fresh, Spiritually ‘eye-salved’ eyes - so to speak (Revelation 3:18). One way you can do this is by approaching your Bible or lesson study prayerfully asking the question: is there something more to this that I haven’t yet seen?
That is how I am going to approach this quarter’s study. Are you interested in joining me in exploring, discussing, sharing and maybe even constructively ‘debating’ as we, like the authors, grow in our seeing ‘new’/further dimensions of the concept of Restlessness and Rest?
Good advice Phil. Let me share something I learned early in my desire to know the Word of God for myself. I discovered the power of being "wise", which opened up the Word of God as I had never experienced before. A good example of this may be found in the book of Daniel, including both the first and last chapters of that book. I would begin with the last chapter(Dan 12:10), and notice what this verse is telling me, which leads me to ask, "how does one become wise?". In Dan 2:21 we see that God "gives wisdom to the wise". This is how "the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day"(Prov 4:18).
Now a look at Daniel 1 where the story unfolds of 4 youths who purpose in their heart to be faithful to the statutes of the Lord in a foreign land, when faced with being served defiling food and drink. The result of their steadfast faith is being found "10 times wiser" by the assessment of the King himself. Imagine if I could bring such wisdom to this study on Rest this quarter!
Now let us observe what Jesus taught as He was ending His beautiful sermon on the mount, saying: "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:", along with John 7:17, where Jesus says: "If any man will do [God's] will, he shall know of the doctrine".
Obedience in all that I do know will result in being found "wise", which will allow God to give wisdom, which He cannot impart to the unwise/foolish(Eph 5:17). In essence, Dan 2:21 could read that "[God] gives wisdom to the obedient.
I believe this to be the key to unlocking the great treasures of God's word, otherwise hidden from the "unwise".(see also Matt 6:22,23)
On reading the comments today three texts are brought to my mind.
It is good to be content whatever my situation and to trust in the LORD. Philippians 4:11-13
It is not good to have itching ears looking for something new to suit my own ideas. 2Tim 4:2-4
It is good to become mature in our understanding of the Word of the LORD and our relationship with Him. Heb 5:11-14, 6:1-3
I read this quote from the authors a bit different than Phil van der Klift. "As the authors worked on this study guide, they suddenly realized the all-pervasiveness of the concept of rest in the texture of biblical theology. Rest connects to salvation, to grace, to creation, to the Sabbath, to our understanding of the state of the dead, to the soon coming of Jesus — and to so much more." I read it as EVERY TIME you dig into God's word, what you find gets exponentially deeper, wider. Not that I knew "all" about a specific verse or topic, but that God continually opens my understanding to higher and higher levels as I continue to know study to know him. I also saw humility in admitting that BECAUSE of working on this lesson their depth and breadth of understanding "rest" is forever changed. I'm excited and looking forward to what more will I learn this quarters lesson.
Satisfying moments when we come to Jesus. These invitation to everyone, regardless of your age, status in life, your race, wherever you came, living with sickness or a healthy living
as long as you want peace and looking for eternal life ... we must go to Jesus. Jesus care is for everyone, anytime His arms are open to receive anyone . What a wonderful moment, what a wonderful invitation even like me a sinner living in this troubled world when I go to Jesus, with faith in Him ,follow His teachings I felt so satisfied and happy. Thank you Lord for accepting me even I am a sinner, you answered my prayers and you knows best so i rest unto you.