I once had to travel by road for over 1300 miles. The journey took almost 24 hours. After every 6 to 8 hours of driving, we would take a break from driving, get something to eat, use the restroom, and if needed take a nap. Most cities had Rest-Stops designed just for that needed break, but the truth is, even though they’re called Rest-Stops, you’re not really rested because your journey is not over. The real rest was once we finally got home, we could shower, eat a home-cooked meal (no more fast food) and sleep in a comfortable bed. Our long journey was over!
A God kind of rest is not a Rest-Stop, temporal, in-between your journey kind of rest. God’s definition of rest is….It is finished! When God rested on the 7th day, creation was complete, it wasn’t a temporal let me take a minute in between what I’m doing break. When Noah’s Ark rested, its job of saving Noah and his family was done. When Jesus rested, His job of saving us and giving us victory was done.
God’s kind of rest is not you taking a break on the 3rd floor to catch your breath whilst lugging your groceries up the stairs to the 5th floor. You’re still going to pick the groceries up and keep going. Nope, His rest is you’ve made it to the 5th floor and all the groceries have been put away. There’s completion and finality in God’s rest.
Jesus says “come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. Jesus is saying come and enjoy completion. Come and enjoy rest which means your burdens are no more. He isn’t asking you to come to Him so he can give you something temporal. It isn’t for Him to take your burdens from you for a while, then give them back to you. It is for you to know your burdens of unrighteousness, sin, stress, and whatever else have been put away permanently because what He did on the cross has been done irrevocably.
Once you come to Christ your burdens are no more. You can never pick them up again, and don’t let anyone ( including yourself) tell you that you can or you should. So Enjoy God’s Rest!
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. (Genesis 2:2)
Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.(Genesis 8:4)
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.( Mathew 11:28)
Grace Notes 