October 26, 2009

Cultivating purposeful rest (so to better hear from God)

In the last couple of devotionals we have considered briefly God’s desire to communicate with us – his children, his people! On Saturday we looked at how God called out to Samuel in the night hour. On Sunday we looked at how God wants to speak to us through dreams. Today – let’s continue this theme of God speaking to us.

I am really struck by the fact that God spoke to Samuel “in the night hour.” Beyond that, I am struck with how often in Scripture God is speaking through dreams. And the amazing thing is – he sometimes is giving absolutely, critical and life-changing revelation! Joseph was given his prophetic destiny through a dream – a reality that surely came to pass (Genesis 37:1-11), which saved multitudes, influenced world history and an entire empire. Isn’t this interesting? And even Jesus’ destiny hinged on a dream given to Joseph and Mary, warning them to flee from Herod’s attempt to kill him. And we can be grateful today for that dream that preserved the baby Jesus (Mt 2:13-15). The point is: God was speaking a necessary and destiny-changing word through the dream in the night hour.
To me, this is a very intriguing way for God to speak. Why is the night hour so suitable for us to receive revelation from God? I think there is very practical reason for this. At night we are potentially in the most rested state. Our defenses are down, and our thoughts are not racing at a thousand miles per hour (hopefully!). In this place, there is great potential to be free from the distractions, cares, and burdens that we normally carry upon our weary shoulders. This creates space for God’s word to reach us.

Now, God is speaking to us all the time in different ways. And of course we can and should aim to be at peace and rest throughout the day receiving from God all the time. But a practical reality of our human existence is we need specific set apart times of rest to receive from God. This can be at the night hour, or it can be in a disciplined time of rest and meditation. The key thing is to cultivate a purposeful rest in the Lord. The more we do that, the more we will hear from him.
A purposeful rest in the Lord could be summed up as: “Be Still, and know that I am God…” (Ps 46:10a). Quite literally, the idea is: “Cease moving forward! I am your God and will take care of all your needs. You just need to rest and be still for a change!” Or think about when the Israelites were trapped by the Red Sea and were being chased by the Egyptians. God declared to them through Moses: “Do not be afraid . . . . The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Ex 14:13-14). We can also think of Jesus’ invitation to the weary: “I will give you rest…and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29). Ah, the restful invitation from God sounds so good, like water to our thirsty souls – and oh yeah…that’s Biblical too! :)

So how can we cultivate a purposeful rest in the Lord? For one, we need to prioritize time in our schedule to rest in the Lord. This won’t just happen naturally. We need to make that choice, and then discipline ourselves to do it. Initially it can be difficult to quiet ourselves even when we make the time. But I believe as we persevere over time, we will find that resting in the Lord becomes easier, and actually something we desire not to live without. And we will begin to hear the Lord in ways and clarity like never before. When I am having trouble resting in the Lord, I find that deep, slow breathing helps to calm my body and allow my spirit to get in tune with the Spirit inside. I also find praying or singing in the Spirit to be essential at times; and resting with some worship music at other times.
As we position ourselves more and more for purposeful rest, however you do that, be expecting God to speak to you! Expect dreams that could change your life! Expect that “at night the Lord’s song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life” (Ps 42:8). Your life is never going to be the same. Hallelujah!