01 - Rest

What does it mean to rest? The dictionary says many things (as it tends to do often), here are but a selection of what it says...

1...the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep: a good night's rest.
2...the refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor: to allow an hour for rest
3...relief or freedom, esp. from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs
4...to refresh oneself, as by sleeping, lying down, or relaxing

These first four things are rather straight forward in how we understand the word 'rest' and how we give meaning to it...in fact I probably didn't need to a dictionary search altogether to find that out. But nevertheless these first four things all appear in the Bible in different places and in different ways. God in fact rested in this way after he created... 'By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.' (Genesis 2:2). Why exactly God rested I am not sure, I like to think after creating such a magnificance piece of art, that is the universe in all it's beauty and perfection, perhaps he rested for a moment just to take in the sheer awesomeness of what he had made.

In Matthew 11:28 is says, 'come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Indeed rest is so much more than just sleeping at around 11pm after a hard days work (or whatever takes your fancy during the day), it is place free from worry, anxiety...free from burden. Rest is a place where you can throw all your fears on King Jesus, so you can freely run with him without inhabitions and without being weighed down.