I\u2019ve been in the \u201cquest for rest\u201d classroom a long while. You\u2019re thinking I must not be learning the lesson very well. It\u2019s an on-going curriculum, and I\u2019m in the graduate program. In fact, I\u2019m grasping the principles so well that God continually gives me opportunities to apply them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I entered the course, I\u2019d begun praying, \u201cLord, teach\nme to rest,\u201d knowing it could involve some \u201cspecial projects\u201d in which my hands\nwere tied and I could do nothing but rest on the promises of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As those situations developed, God gave abundant promises\nconcerning rest. The biggest issue for me was staying convinced God is good. I\nhadn\u2019t expected that to be an issue because the Bible says God is good, and I\nbelieve God is good. Finding myself in circumstances that clearly did not seem\ngood raised doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t remember actually questioning, but there must have\nbeen some doubt rumbling around in my thinking because God dealt with it. I\nfelt drawn to a book that had been on my shelf for years, The God of All Comfort<\/em> by Hannah Whitall Smith. I\u2019d bought it after\nher book The Christian\u2019s Secret of a\nHappy Life<\/em> dramatically impacted my thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assuming the comfort book concerned grief, I\u2019d laid it\naside. When I opened it and began reading, the chapter \u201cGod is Good\u201d settled forever\na fact I didn\u2019t realize I\u2019d doubted. God is good. I don\u2019t need to understand (or\nmake sense of) events to know that.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGod is good. I don\u2019t need to understand (or make sense of) events to know that. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n God is good. That\u2019s an unchangeable fact. Circumstances or opinion cannot alter fact. Settling that was paramount to my learning to rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord began teaching me three truths that lead to rest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I cried out, \u201cOh, God, this is out of my hands!\u201d He\nsaid, \u201cAnd you\u2019re crying because this is out of your feeble hands and into my\nalmighty hands?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That perspective transformed my life, freeing me to rest on\nGod\u2019s promises, knowing he was working in my circumstances. His part is to work.\nMy part is to trust and praise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doubt asks, \u201cHow can God ever get glory from this?\u201d Faith\nresponds, \u201cI can\u2019t wait to see how God gets the glory!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t rest perfectly every moment, but I long to. Ultimately,\nI go to God with my unrest. He gently leads me through the maze of questions\nand brings me to my declaration of faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the\ngreatness of our God! He is the rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways\nare just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he\u201d\n(Deuteronomy 32:3-4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I rest. So that\u2019s what I\u2019m learning. At times the class\nhas been intense. Wish you could see my homework papers (journal notes)! This I\nknow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know he is a faithful God who does no wrong\u2014even when nothing makes sense to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope this study on the quest for rest has been helpful. To\nlearn more, begin reading the Bible through, starting in Genesis. Note every\nScripture that fits each of these categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlight the verses in your Bible and also record them in a\nnotebook. After you finish the study, do a faith-check. Expect your confidence\nin God to explode!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently I read again the\naccount of a challenge facing the nation Judah. When the army of Sennacherib,\nking of Assyria, threatened to capture Jerusalem, King Hezekiah called on God; \u201c\u2026the\nangel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand\nmen in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning\u2014there were all\nthe dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew\u2026\u201d (see\n2 Kings 19:35). <\/p>\n\n\n\n The God who created us loves\nus, and he fights for us. Fill your heart with his promises and rest on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Lord Almighty has sworn, \u2018Surely,\nas I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand\u2026For\nthe Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched\nout, and who can turn it back?\u201d (Isaiah 14:24 & 27).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Would you share a truth that\ntouched your life through this study? And please pass this article on to your\nfriend list!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scriptures from NIV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve been in the \u201cquest for rest\u201d classroom a long while. You\u2019re thinking I must not be learning the lesson very well. It\u2019s an on-going curriculum, and I\u2019m in the graduate program. In fact, I\u2019m grasping the principles so well that God continually gives me opportunities to apply them. When I entered the course, I\u2019d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,369,370,333,72,368,367],"class_list":["post-1049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-dianne-barker","tag-god-acts-at-his-appointed-time","tag-god-fights-fo-rme","tag-god-has-a-purpose","tag-god-is-good","tag-god-turns-the-heart","tag-the-quest-for-rest"],"yoast_head":"\n