My Ark – Listening, Trust, and Rest

Trust, the hinge between Listening and Rest.

I was weary … weariness stemming from busyness that was physically and emotionally taxing. In my spiritual life an opportunity more than ever to apply what I’ve been learning about rest and resiliency this year. It felt like diving into deep water.

 

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (italics mine)

This scripture is a life-line. As I’m learning to trust its truth, I’m experiencing rest because

Listening and Trust and Rest are first cousins!
Trust – the hinge between Listening & Rest!

As building my ark (a safe haven for rest) continues, I’m learning that listening to God Leads to trusting God which leads to experiencing rest.

  • Noah demonstrated that for me in the words recorded in Genesis.  Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9); Noah found favor with God (Genesis 6:8); Noah listened to God and obeyed (trusted) (Genesis 6:22, 7:5); Noah experienced God’s faithfulness (Genesis 8:1); Noah worshiped God (Genesis 8:20). Noah lived out his name, the one who brings relief or rest (Genesis 5:29).

I want to be like Noah,
a woman who walks with God,
listens to God,
obeys (trusts) God,
worships God,
and experiences God’s faithfulness and rest.

Trusting the truth of Matthew 11:28-30 is the diving board for me, the key to living as Noah and experiencing rest.

Here are a few of the lessons that are leading me to rest.

  1. Rest is an invitation. Jesus invites me to come to him in the midst of my weariness. He asks me to learn from him … not learn of him or about him. Jesus is able to rest in the midst of the storms of his life. When I learn from that, I can respond to (trust in) his invitation for rest is for me too in the midst of the storms of my life.
  2. Circumstances don’t invite me to rest; circumstances invite me to trust which leads to rest. When life is especially hard I begin to pray, God, your yoke doesn’t seem easy or light at the moment, it seems HEAVY. But I want to trust that what you are allowing as I walk with you is light. So will you take the heavy and leave me with the easy and light. Amen.
  3. Rest is a choice. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, a Silicon valley strategist says, “You have to resist the lure of busyness, make time for rest, take it seriously, and protect it from a world that is intent on stealing it.” His words seem true to me. In the midst of our travels there were times when I had the opportunity to trust that rest was important and to opt out of certain good activities and choose rest. One afternoon in North Carolina, I slipped out from the conference to wander through the shops of Black Mountain. For me that was so restful. (And I even purchased a couple of Christmas gifts.)
  4. Trusting Ephesians 2:4-6, I have been affirmed in my spiritual practice of sitting and staring. “But God … made us alive … raised us up … seated us with him …” It is very restful for me to start each morning with a cup of coffee, sitting in my favorite comfy chair, and enjoy God’s creation outside my windows. Or, if the weather co-operates, sitting outside on our deck. The quietness of this time leads me naturally to listen for his voice. It is good. After several days of sitting on airplanes, sitting in meetings, or even sitting with friends enjoying a good meal, sitting with God leads to rest.
  5. To rest is to practice humility. I won’t respond in trust to Jesus’ invitation or Noah’s example, unless humility leads the way. I was challenged with Hannah Anderson’s words in her book, Humble Roots, “As long as we refuse to accept our pride is the source of our unrest, we will continue to wither on the vine.” And, “When Jesus calls us to take his yoke, when he invites us to find rest through submission … He is calling us to safety.” (chapter 2)

Rest flows from Trust. Trust flows from Listening. Listening, trust and rest are first cousins; trust is the hinge.

Thinking through these questions from Matthew 11:28-30 has led me to trust and to rest.

Where are my places of heavy laden-ness today?
Do I want rest in those places?
What would it look like to respond to Jesus’ invitation to come to him today?
How can I learn from him today?
Do I believe that he is gentle and humble? How does that relate to me?
Am I willing to give him those things that are heavy and trust him with his light burden for me?

” … in returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
Isaiah 30:15

Building my ark of rest has been a several year journey and I suspect God will continue to teach me.  You can follow this journey by reading through these past blogs:
https://suetell.com/reflecting-on-the-gallop/

My Ark

My Ark, An Update

Copyright: Sue Tell, March 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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