Finding Rest In God In The Midst Of Struggles

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” – Hebrews 4:9-11

The word “rest” in secular language means to stop from doing anything such as lying down on your bed, going into vacation to rest and doing nothing at all. However, this is not the kind of “rest” the Bible is talking about. This kind of rest that comes from God encompasses a total kind of rest that every human being needs – rest from worries and fears, rest from emotional pains, rest from endless battles and struggles, and such. God wants us to rest from all those things in life.

Finding Rest in God in the Midst of Struggles

Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came to give us life abundantly but not many Christians are experiencing this kind of life because of unrest from problems and worries in life. That is what the devil wants to happen because he is a thief who kills, steals and destroys life.

When someone is rejecting you or intentionally hurting you, the devil wants you to become defensive and protective of yourself as if God is not with you and could not fight the battles for you.

When you worry about your finances, career, finding the right person, or you fear accidents and death of a loved one, and more, you become restless, stressed and tired because of the lack of proper sleep and peace of mind. Once you are into this kind of state, the devil starts to plant doubts in your heart and you simply try your best to trust in God.

When you try to trust in God, you are still putting an effort and therefore you are still not at rest but when you do trust in God, there is rest from within you.

Therefore, the key to find and enter into God’s rest is to trust in Jesus Christ; faith in what Christ could do is the key to enter into God’s rest (see Hebrews 9:4 to 11).

God wants you to enter into His rest by simply letting go of all the worries, fears and situations you cannot control in life. When you have done your part, leave the rest that you cannot to God. He will never fail you.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus Christ is the Giver of rest. Therefore, let go of the burdens that you are carrying and give it all to Jesus.

Also, examine the recurring thoughts in your mind which make you feel restless, stressed and worried. Let us say, someone you dislike or someone who dislikes you; financial problems and other unpaid bills; your crumbling business; a broken relationship, etc. Give those thoughts specifically to God. (2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.) says that we are to cast down “arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” and bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”