When Jesus was sleeping in the bottom of the boat, neither the winds nor the
rains interrupted His rest. Isn’t that amazing? How could Jesus’ sleep so
deeply in the middle of a violent storm, with dangerous waves and high winds?
Notice the text did not say that he was awakened by the storm, but by his
disciples because they were afraid. Have you ever experienced that kind of
rest? (Matt. 8:23-27).
Like Jesus, we are all longing for true rest. We long to be and feel at
peace from our personal raging storms. Resting in Jesus does not mean that the
storms and the winds of life will not blow our way. We are not exempt (Matt.
5:45). But in this example of the text, we have been given power and authority
to speak to our storm and command peace just like Jesus did.
How Can We Find Rest?
We can find rest in his word. When we rest in the completed
works of Christ, we hold his word in our hearts. We can pray and bring his word
before Him. We can confess and hold fast to what His word says over our very
situation. His word gives us the power and strength to endure whatever comes
our way. When the enemy of life hears us confess and pray the word over our
situation, he must flee. Stand on his word and watch how things change. Christ
has the power to change you or your situation. Either way, you win!
We can find rest in prayer. Bringing your burdens to God
and laying them at His feet will free you from feeling weighed down. The Bible
says to come unto Him all that are weary and burdened and He will give us rest
(Matt. 11:28). Are you in search of rest for your weary soul? Are you exhausted
even though you have slept through the night? Are you feeling burdened by the
things that you are carrying? If you are, that is a sure sign that you need His
rest to survive. Jesus never meant for you to carry any of your issues. He is
our burden bearer. He is the one who can take on the cares of this world. He
desires for you to come unto him and unload. He wants to make an exchange with
you. If you give him the heavy burden, he will give you rest.
We can find rest in his presence. After you pray, just sit
for a while, and meditate on His goodness towards you. No matter what you are
dealing with, you can find a reason to be grateful. As you sit in his presence,
you may notice that he will bring a song, a scripture, or a thought before you.
Be sure to have your journal so that you can write down what you experience.
The more you do this, the more you begin to experience peace and restoration.
You will be renewed. More importantly, you will be at rest.
I do not know what part of the storm you are experiencing. You may be in the
beginning stages where you have noticed dark storm clouds beginning to hover
over you. Perhaps you are right in the midst of a storm and you cannot see your
way out. Or maybe your storm is weakening, and you need some encouragement to endure. Wherever you are and whatever you are experiencing, be sure to find
your way into the eye of your storm. There lies your peace. Jesus is peace. He
is rest. When you seek shelter in his word, prayer, and his presence, you will
find the very thing that you need to rest in Him.
goinginward 