December 9

Read: Hebrews 4:1-11

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God (Hebrews 4:9).

The Rest Of Faith

Pearl Buck had learned in the morning of the death of her husband and was flying home from Japan for the funeral. She wrote: “Sorrow cannot be assuaged. But years ago I learned the technique of acceptance. The first step is simply to yield oneself to the situation. It is a process of the spirit, but it begins with the body. There, belted in my seat, I consciously yielded my body, muscle by muscle, bone by bone. I ceased to resist; I ceased to struggle. Let come what would, I could do nothing to change what had already happened” (A Bridge for Passing).

Such acceptance of the inevitable is always the way for the human spirit to remain sane. But when that acceptance is based on faith in God we have life’s ultimate restoration and health for the soul. There is a rest that comes to those who trust. Our scripture for today tells us the nature of this present, personal, spiritual, and practical rest.

(1) It is a rest for the people of God (v. 9). Our text reminds us that this is the heritage of every true child of the Heavenly Father. (2) It is a rest of faith (vv. 2-3). Those who had no faith were not benefited, but “we which have believed do enter into rest.” (3) It is a rest from the sin of self-assertion; he who has entered “hath ceased from his own works” (v. 10). (4) It is a rest worth seeking; “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest” (v. 11).

Affirmation For Today

Having committed my all to God, I rest. He cares for me. No final harm can come to me while I lean back on Him. “The eternal God is… [my] refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).