RESTFUL SURRENDER

Sonja Sherry

Central Truth

Our God is powerful; He is a King above all gods, a loving Shepherd worthy of joyful praise. However, if our worship is not accompanied with trust and obedience, we lose the chance to fully enter into the rest He has to offer.

“[T]hey are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.”
Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
(Psalm 95:10b-11)

Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
8     do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

What first drew me to this psalm was the magnificent description of God. The splendor in verses 4-5 causes me to rejoice like the psalmist in verses 1-2! But this psalm doesn’t ring excitement from beginning to end.

Rejoicing turns to warning at the end of verse 7: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness," referring to Exodus 17. Right after God delivered His people from slavery, they hardened their hearts and began grumbling of thirst, doubting He would provide the water they needed. This seems ridiculous: God majestically divides the Red Sea into surging walls of water to save them . . . and as soon as they get a little thirsty they doubt He will take care of them!

However, I realize that while this is ridiculous, it’s a ridiculousness that I participate in daily. It’s human nature to distrust God’s provision and do what is right in our own eyes—and when we try to work out our own plans, our work robs us of His rest.

So what is the “rest” God offers us?

Peace from knowing He is in control (Philippians 4:6-7)
Victory from our slavery to sin (Romans 6:12-14)
Joy from reflecting on God’s love and mercy (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Freedom from the pressure to perform/impress for others’ approval (Galatians 1:10)
Confidence from knowing God’s grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9)

All of these are just glimpses of the fullness of God’s rest that those who have chosen to make Jesus Christ their Savior will get to enter—eternal life with Him.

I’ve personally seen that the more I trust Him, the more I rejoice (like verses 1-7) and the more of His rest I enjoy. Though that’s not to say faith equals an easy life, it is certainly easier to endure the struggles we are promised in this life when I know there’s an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing Creator who is worthy of my trust.

1. What areas of your life do you grumble about? (Maybe your boss, a busy schedule, your finances?) Do you believe God is completely in control of these areas?

2. The Israelites were parched and traveling for days on foot; God never said His plans would be easy or safe. What is the most difficult thing you’re currently walking through, and how can you trust God more in the midst of it?

3. Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do immeasurably more than all that we ask or imagine. Do you believe He is able to provide rest even in desperate circumstances? If you’re not sure, check out Matthew 11:28-30 and Philippians 4:6-7.