Sermon: Don't Resist A Rest, Hebrews 3:7-19

 I have the privilege of preaching occasionally at Forest Community Church in Forest, VA. Over two years ago I began a series on Hebrews entitled "Keep Your Eyes on Jesus." I decided to post the links to the videos for any who would like to watch them. This sermon covers Hebrews 3:7-19 and is called "Don't Resist A Rest." The sermon was originally preached on July 24, 2022. I'll post the notes/outline below (NOTE: the video may not follow the notes exactly!), but here is the video link: Hebrews 3:7-19. The sermon starts around the 3:00 minute mark. 

Hebrews Series: Look to Jesus

Do Not Resist A Rest, Hebrews 3:7-19

Prayer: O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Intro: Importance of God’s Word and obedience for rest—Adam and Eve; Abraham, Isssac, and Jacob; Moses; children of Israel; David; Jesus. When we refuse to listen to God and obey what he says, we are resisting a rest. Rest comes from walking with Jesus (come to me) but can be resisted. Today, our author reminds us: Don’t Resist A Rest. God’s rest is something we can resist, and to avoid doing this, our author gives us three points to remember: 1) Israel Resisted God’s Rest—the Word (vv. 7-11), 2) Israel’s disobedience came at a price—the Warning (vv. 12-15), and 3) We don’t want to miss our opportunity—the Why (vv. 16-19). 

Main Point: Do not harden your hearts to rebellion like the Exodus generation. Do not resist a rest!

Word (vv. 7-11); Warning (vv. 12-15); Why (vv. 16-19)

If the first 6 verses of this chapter are the positive example of faithfulness, then the rest of this chapter focuses on a negative example and sets the tone for the discussion in chapter 4 where the author discusses the “rest” of God. This section begins an exhortation to the readers regarding faithfulness. To accomplish this goal, the author introduces a quote from Psalm 95.

The Word—Israel Resisted God (vv. 7-11): The reference to Psalm 95 would no doubt be familiar to the Jewish readers of Hebrews:

This Psalm was often read during the Festival of Tabernacles or Booths. It happened in the autumn, and people would go outside and live in little huts that they made. They would take their meals there for seven days to remember that they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. And they would remember their mistakes that led to the wilderness (and to death for many in that wilderness). And they would remember God's grace and provision as well.

The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 95:7-11. The Psalm may be divided into three parts:

Exhortation: “do not harden your hearts”

Example: “as you did in the wilderness”

Judgment: God speaks “Therefore I was angry”. Note: part of worship is to listen for God’s speech, and in this case God gives a harsh word.

The author of Hebrews brings this Psalm into the present experience of his readers for the following reasons:

They would be very familiar with it.

It was a sober reminder of the people’s lack of faithfulness..

It describes the importance of listening to God’s voice

It underscores the tragic price of faithlessness/refusal to hear and to act on God’s Word.

As the author interprets Psalm 95, it becomes clear that he has the events of Numbers 13-14 (Kadesh Barnea) in mind (Bill Lane--Call to Commitment):

People come to the edge of the land of promise. God tells them to send in 12 spies. Ten come back with a negative report. The people responded with hardness of heart to God’s Word. The people despair, and God judges them. The people try to respond after the fact (more hardness of the heart maybe?) and receive a crushing defeat (late obedience is often half-hearted and rarely rewarded—obey NOW! Do not wait! Do not resist a rest).

The point here is that “hardness of heart” seems to signify treating the Lord and his Word with contempt. It is a refusal to believe God and to act on that belief. Do not resist a rest by refusing to hear and to obey God. When he calls, obey immediately. If we resist a rest, there is trouble ahead. Let’s consider the warning—they paid a price for resisting! Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

The Warning—They paid a price for resisting. (vv. 12-15): In Hebrews 3:12-19, the author underscores the urgency of listening to and properly responding to God’s voice. George Guthrie states that he uses ideas like “heart,” “day,” “today,” “hear,” “enter,” “test,” “rest,” and “unbelief” from the Psalm to create a commentary and exhortation for his readers.

There are two clear exhortations here (Guthrie--NIV Application Commentary):

Take care to listen to God and avoid hardness of heart.

Encourage each other daily.

The price for resisting God is a loss of rest—judgment. We need to be careful NOT to resist a rest. We need to encourage each other and press each forward to obedience and faithfulness. Resisting a rest comes at a price, so we need to be careful that we don’t miss our opportunity. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

The Why—Don’t Miss Our Opportunity (vv. 16-19): In a type of “question and answer” format, the author weaves his commentary by quoting parts of Psalm 95 and responding with the corresponding events in Numbers 13-14 (Lane--Call to Commitment):

V. 16 “who heard and provoked God” (Psalm 95)—were they not those who “came out of Egypt with Moses” (Numbers 14)

V. 17 “With whom was he angry for 40 years” (Psalm 95)—”Was it not with those who sinned, and whose bodies fell in the wilderness?” (Numbers 14)

V. 18 “To whom did he swear” (Psalm 95)—those who were “disobedient” (Numbers 14)

Our author is warning his readers to avoid the hard hearts of the Jews and the judgment of Kadesh Barnea (Psalm 106 too!). The preacher then draws two significant conclusions:

We have become partners/partakers with Christ (v. 14), but this presupposes a firm intent to continue faithfully to the end

Israel was unable to enter God’s promised rest due to unbelief and disobedience (v. 19)

Hebrews’ author ends his section with a continued call to faithfulness. The example of Jesus (and Moses) form the positive model. The example of the Jews in the wilderness are the negative.

As before, our author warns of the consequences of continued disobedience or unfaithfulness—there are, in other words, problems when we neglect God:

Neglect of God leads to hardness of heart

Hardness of heart leads to loss of rest

There is retribution for ignoring God and his voice

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

Conclusion:

Bill Lane asks the following questions for application of this passage:

Do we possess a hardened heart?  Do we display a deeper concern for the counsel of others than for the counsel of God?

Does an attitude of unbelief characterize our lives?  Are we living in fear of the “giants in the land” instead of relying on God for provision?

Does our disposition display a quickness to grumble and complain about our circumstances?

Do we tend to extend a calloused and unappreciative attitude towards one another?

At a critical moment the Jews refused to listen to God.  Their refusal to listen reveals a lack of faith or a fundamental refusal to trust God.  Their rejection of God reveals this shocking truth:

“A participant in the redemption provided by God can choose to disbelieve God.  It is possible to display unpardonable indifference to the promise of God.” (Bill Lane--Call to Commitment)

What do you think?

Five principles of faithfulness are found here:

A healthy focus on Jesus encourages one to faithfulness.

Faithfulness is volitional as well as intellectual or emotional.

The twin failings of sinfulness and unbelief hinder faithfulness.

The faithful persevere in their commitment.

Faithfulness is communal, it is not simply individual.

What do you think? How would you apply this text to your community of faith?

Passages: Amos 8; Psalm 95; Numbers 14; Matthew 11; Colossians 1

Thank you for reading! 

Going Sane in a Crazy World: Finding Rest when things Fall Apart

 Recently I preached a sermon at Forest Community Church in Virginia that was a repeat of a similar sermon from almost 10 years ago. I thought some of the ideas needed to be repeated, and I know that I needed to hear them. If you'd like a recording of the sermon, go here: Going Sane in a Crazy World. I hope this message blesses you! The notes for the sermon are below. 

Going Sane in a Crazy World—Finding Rest When Things Fall Apart

Psalm 46, Matthew 11:28-30

 

The Tick and Arthur: “You aren’t going crazy chum, you’re going sane in a crazy world!”

We live in a crazy world--Economic issues, Crazy political situations, Wars and rumors of wars, Personal Loss

 

Stress is everywhere! And it shows. It shows in our bodies — in our relationships — including our relationship with God.

It's hard to find time for intimacy, because intimacy takes time.

Time is a commodity you wish you could buy, and if you could, you would use it simply to buy peace, quiet, leisure—to do some things you long to do and not have to do them in such a rush. Just having time to think and to have the right atmosphere for thinking would be nice, wouldn't it?

There will always be tension to life. But it needs to be a healthy, creative tension, not life-sapping stress. Marriages, families, and personal lives are falling apart as stressed-out people run away, withdraw, explode, crash, burn out—and eventually find themselves so very much alone. I believe a major cause for our stress is that we react rather than act. We're all moving so quickly that we don't stop and consider our future. What will it demand of us? What will it cost? Are we willing to pay the price?

We simply move. We react to the immediate. I know it's an area where I really do battle. I want to do everything. I have so many ideas and I love the excitement and challenge of a new venture — the potential — the "project." So I react in the moment. I say "yes" when I should probably say "no"— forgetting that my time is already allotted to other things. We react in the flesh instead of acting under the Holy Spirit's control. You see, God knows our situations, he knows our issues and pressures. He knows our conflicts. And He has made provision for each and every one of them. And that provision is God himself in the person and presence of the Holy Spirit, indwelling us and empowering us to respond rightly.

This liberating response is wrapped up in the gift of a person--Jesus our Messiah. We need his promised rest. This idea is found explicitly discussed in Psalm 46. Today I want to consider this Psalm with you in thinking through how we can go sane in a crazy world. 

 

Going Sane in a Crazy World—Psalm 46:  The Frame is God’s Presence (v. 1) and our Position (v. 10): When God seems silent, be still and know his presence (Jesus says, “Come to Me”); When the world turns against us, be still and know his power (Jesus says, “Take my yoke, learn from me”); When things get hectic, be still and know him  (His yoke is easy and his burden is light); Going Sane means to Rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

 

When God Seems Silent: Be Still and Know His Presence (Be With Him) 

Psalm 46:1-3:  When life goes crazy, where is sanity?  Where is rest?  Where is God? In what way is God a refuge when life is in tatters?

C. S. Lewis—A Grief Observed

“Where is God?  When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be -- or so it feels -- welcomed with open arms.  But to go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find?  A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside.  After that, silence.  You may as well turn away.  The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. . . . What can this mean? Why is God so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in times of trouble?”

God’s presence has not changed, yet we seem to be unable to access it. God seems distant, or at least a bit unconcerned. Our world is shattered, where is the glue to hold us together? Why are we experiencing the apparent Absence of God?

Be still and know his presence.

 

When God Seems Silent

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus commands us to come to him. Who should come?  All who are weary or heavy burdened; All who think that their lives are over; All who think God has turned his back on them; All who face the awful silence of others and even God.

His promise is to give rest. He doesn’t promise results. He doesn’t even promise a “word from God.”

He promises “rest.”

Rest is a relief from hardship, pain, distress, and turmoil. It is the presence of Messiah in our hard times. 

Come to him and find rest.

 

Col. 1:15-17:  Jesus is the glue that holds reality together. 

The Psalmist calls us to put our trust in God who holds all things together. The words “refuge” and “strength” speak of God’s security and power. Our security is not in the ground beneath our feet; God is our ultimate unshakeable reality and the greatest power of all. Just because I don’t see the sun that doesn’t mean it ceases to exist.

When life gets hard, we need to stand still, to desist, to stop striving and to dwell on his presence. We need Jesus’ rest. God is omnipresent, he has gone nowhere.

Be quiet and listen

Psalm 91:7

Be still and know his presence.

 

When the World Turns Against Us: Be Still and Take His Yoke (Be His--He gives Power)

Psalm 46:4-7:  God is with his beloved Jerusalem

2 Corinthians 4:7-10—Jars of Clay

We are not exempt from hardships, difficulties, and bad emotions, but we are more than survivors (Romans 8:31-39; especially v. 37). We may be shaken, but we cannot be destroyed. The power by which we live and by which Jerusalem is sustained is the power of God. When things go south, we must learn NOT to rely on our abilities. Our power MUST come from a higher source.

God is There, and He is Able.

Be still and know his power.

 

In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus gives two more commands:  “Take my yoke” and “learn from me”. Jesus doesn’t think that rest is sitting still necessarily. This is a work in progress, it is still work. Yoke is what oxen wore. You often put an untrained ox with an older ox in order to help it learn. The yokes were specifically fit to the oxen. So it is with us, Jesus prepares us for the work he has in this world by fitting our yoke just to us, joining us in the yoke, and teaching us how to work—That is Rest!

Jesus’ humility and gentleness in teaching us gives us rest. As we learn to rely on the humble Messiah, we find rest.

Rest in his yoke, learn of his power.

 

When Things Get Hectic: Be Still and Know Him (Position--Be Still) 

Psalm 46:8-11

God's Word to us when we're on the ragged edge of reality:  Be Still, Desist, Cease striving, Stop Struggling, Rest. Psalm 46:10 says to "Be still," which may mean “rest.” It means to "let your arms down to your side"—to be vulnerable to God. God also says to "know that I am God." He calls for a cognitive and a personal response. We cease striving not because we know how it's going to work out, but because we know the God who will work it out.

C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed (continued)

"I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted. Was it my own frantic need that slammed it in my face? The time when nothing at all in your soul except a cry for help may be just the time when God can’t give it; you are like the drowning man who can’t be helped because he clutches and grabs. Perhaps your own reiterated cries deafen you to the voice you hoped to hear." 

 

Come to the Jesus, whose humility led him to die for you. Wear his yoke, do only his work. Do not look around at what everyone else is doing (This is Peter’s at the end of John). Keep his easy yoke and light burden as your protection. Only do those things God has placed on the yoke you share with Jesus.

Remember, he gives rest while he helps bear our load.

All kinds of things may be going wrong, but God remains unmoved and unchanged. He is constant, he is there, he is not silent, he has not moved. To know him is to know security even in the most hectic time. To know him requires time and stillness. We must sit with him, spend time with him, learn from him. We need lap time with our Father. We need to unravel, to experience Selah. His presence is ours, our position is to be still with him.

Be still and know him.

 

Now What?

So, life is going crazy.

How do we go sane in a crazy world?

How can we find firmness when things seem unsound?

We must begin with a proper focus. Whatever consumes our attention soon overwhelms our senses and colors our perspective. Instead of being consumed by the problem, we should turn our face to the Lord

This week we must schedule time with God. We must stand still on God’s firmness and stability. We must learn to quit striving, to cease kicking, to be still and to be vulnerable to what God may be doing. We must embrace God as our sole refuge, as our primary source of satisfaction.

This week find ways to create a space of peace in your hectic schedule. Take time to sit still.

This week, when the bottom falls out, when God seems silent, when the world turns against you, when things get hectic.

Be still, and know God’s power, presence, and person.

And you’ll find that he is a genuine refuge in time of trouble.

Going Sane in a Crazy World: Some Musings about Rest from a Weary Pilgrim

 Several years ago, I was asked to preach for a local congregation. The following sermon came about when God changed my topic. I was working on a sermon on worship, but Matthew 11 had lodged in my mind and heart for a couple of weeks, and I kept hearing "Come to me all who are weary, and I will give you rest."  I needed that rest, so I went back to Psalm 46 and tried to connect it to Matthew 11. My notes are below, but they aren't exactly like the sermon.  I hope it blesses you!

 

"Going Sane in a Crazy World"

Psalm 46  Matthew 11:28-30

Introduction

The Tick and Arthur--During a particular time of battle, Arthur cries out "I think I'm going crazy!" The Tick replies: “You aren’t going crazy chum, you’re going sane in a crazy world!”

We live in a crazy world, to say the least

Economic issues

Crazy political situations

Disease and other crises

Wars and rumors of wars

Stress is everywhere! And it shows. It shows in our bodies — in our relationships — including our relationship with God.

It's hard to find time for intimacy, because intimacy takes time.

Time is a commodity we wish we could buy, and if we could, we would probably use it simply to buy peace, quiet, leisure—to do some things we long to do and not have to do them in such a rush. Just having time to think and to have the right atmosphere for thinking would be nice, wouldn't it?

There will always be tension to life. But it needs to be a healthy, creative tension, not life-sapping stress. Marriages, families, and personal lives are falling apart as stressed-out people run away, withdraw, explode, crash, burn out—and eventually find themselves very much alone.

A major cause for our stress is that we often react rather than act. We're all moving so quickly that we don't stop and consider our future. What will it demand of us? What will it cost? Are we willing to pay the price?

We simply move. We react to the immediate. 

I know it's an area where I really battle. I want to do everything. So I react in the moment. I say yes when I should say no — forgetting that my time is already allotted to other things. We react in a response of the flesh instead of acting under the Holy Spirit's control.

God knows our pressures and our conflicts, he knows the issues with which we are dealing. And He has made provision for each and every one of them. And that provision is Himself.  He is our Refuge and our Rest.

Psalm 46 offers one perspective on Rest. The information in the Psalm, however, is framed by two ideas: The Frame is God’s Presence (v. 1) and our Position (v. 10). The information between these verses can be summarized in three basic points: 

1) When God seems silent, be still and know his presence (Jesus says "Come to me")

2) When the world turns against us, be still and know his power (Jesus says, "Take my yoke, learn from me")

3) When things get hectic, be still and know God (his yoke is easy and his burden is light)

In sum, the Psalmist reminds us that "Going Sane means to Rest" (Matthew 11:28-30)

When God Seems Silent: Come to Jesus

Psalm 46:1-3

When life goes crazy, where is sanity?  Where is rest?  Where is God?

In what way is God a refuge when life is in tatters?

C. S. Lewis—A Grief Observed

“Where is God? When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be--or so it feels--welcomed with open arms. But to go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. . . . What can this mean? Why is God so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in times of trouble?”

God’s presence has not changed, yet in times of trouble we often seem to be unable to access it. In those times, God seems distant, or at least a bit unconcerned (in our minds). When our world is shattered, where is the glue to hold us together?

The Psalmist admonishes us to "Be still and know God's presence."

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus commands us to come to him. Who should come? 

All who are weary or heavy burdened;

All who think that their lives are over;

All who think God has turned his back on them;

All who face the awful silence of others (and perhaps even God).

If we come, Jesus offers a promise, and that promise is to give us rest.

He doesn’t promise results.

He doesn’t even promise a “word from God.”

He promises “rest”--Rest is a relief from hardship, pain, distress, and turmoil. Rest is the presence of Christ in hard times.

Come to him and find rest.

Col. 1:15-17:  Jesus is the glue that holds reality together.

The Psalmist calls us to put our trust in God who holds all things together. The words “refuge” and “strength” speak of God’s security and power.

Our security is not in the ground beneath our feet, it can easily be removed by an earthquake, storm, or disaster. God is our ultimate unshakeable reality  and the greatest power of all. Just because I don’t see the sun that doesn’t mean it ceases to exist. In fact, sometimes the shadow proves the sunshine. Where there is shadow, there is bound to be light!

When life gets hard, we need to stand still, to desist, to stop striving and to dwell on his presence. We need to enter into Jesus’ rest.

Remember, if God is omnipresent, he has gone nowhere. Since he is already here, we need to learn to be quiet, and listen.

Psalm 91:7 Be still and know his presence

When the World Turns Against Us: We Take His Yoke

Psalm 46:4-7:  God is with his beloved.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10—Jars of Clay

We are not exempt from hardships, difficulties, and bad emotions, but we are more than survivors (Romans 8:31-39; especially v. 37). We may be shaken, but we cannot be destroyed.

The power by which we live and by which Jerusalem is sustained is the power of God.

When things go south, we must learn NOT to rely on our abilities

Our power MUST come from a higher source.

God is There, and He is Able.

Be still and know his power

In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus gives two more commands:  “Take my yoke” and “learn from me.”

Jesus doesn’t think that rest is necessarily sitting still. This is a work in progress, it is still work. Yoke is what oxen wore. You often put an untrained ox with an older ox in order to help it learn. The yokes were specifically fit to the oxen.

So it is with us, Jesus prepares us for the work he has in this world by fitting our yoke just to us, joining us in the yoke, and teaching us how to work—That is Rest! Rest is doing what Jesus asks us to do in the situation Jesus has placed us. 

Jesus’ humility and gentleness in teaching us gives us rest.

As we learn to rely on the humble Christ, we find rest. We can rest in his yoke and rely on his power.

When Things Get Hectic: His Yoke is Easy

Psalm 46:8-11

God's Word to us when we're on the ragged edge of reality:  Be Still, Desist, Cease striving, Stop Struggling, Rest.

Psalm 46:10 says to "Be still," which may mean “rest.” It means to "let your arms down to your side"—to be vulnerable to God.

God also says to "know that I am God." He calls for a cognitive and a personal response.

We cease striving not because we know how it's going to work out, but because we know the God who will work it out.

C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed (continued)

"I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted. Was it my own frantic need that slammed it in my face? The time when nothing at all in your soul except a cry for help may be just the time when God can’t give it; you are like the drowning man who can’t be helped because he clutches and grabs. Perhaps your own reiterated cries deafen you to the voice you hoped to hear." 

Come to the Jesus, whose humility led him to die for you. Wear his yoke, do only his work. Find your rest in obedience to his call. 

Do not look around at what everyone else is doing (This is Peter’s reaction at the end of John's Gospel).

Keep his easy yoke and light burden as your protection.

Only do those things God has placed on the yoke you share with Jesus. Remember, he gives rest while he helps bear our load.

All kinds of things may be going wrong, but God remains stable, strong,  and constant.

He is constant, he is there, he is not silent, he has not moved, he is not caught off guard. 

To know him is to know security even in the most hectic crisis; to know him requires time and stillness. 

We must sit with him, spend time with him, learn from him.

We need time with our Father.

We need to unravel, to experience Selah.

His presence is ours, our position is to be still with him.

Be still and know him

Now What?

So, life is going crazy. How do we go sane in a crazy world? 

How can we find firmness when things seem unsound?

We must begin with a proper focus: Whatever consumes our attention soon overwhelms our senses and colors our perspective. Instead of being consumed by the problem, we should turn our face to the Lord. We must schedule time with God.

We must stand still on God’s firmness and stability. We must learn to quit striving, to cease kicking, to be still and to be vulnerable to what God may be doing. We must embrace God as our sole refuge, as our primary source of satisfaction. We must find ways to create a space of peace in our hectic schedule--take time to sit still.

When the bottom falls out, when God seems silent, when the world turns against you, when things get hectic: 

Be still, and know God’s power, presence, and person. And you’ll find that he is a genuine refuge in time of trouble.

Thanks for reading!  

Musings about Light and Darkness and the Importance of Pressing On

Sometimes I find myself thinking: "I failed, I blew it, I just never get it right . . ." sometimes it seems like I can't get it right even if I try. It is a recurring and almost living nightmare. Yes, it hurts to let others down, and nobody wants to feel like a failure. Here's some truth I'm trying to learn: The shadow proves the sunshine. The shadow is evidence of light shining, and that is true for each of us. Life doesn't always go the way we hope, and sometimes we get the distinct impression it is all our fault. I don't have magic words to fix the problem, but I am aware that there is a Light. We need to move from darkness to Light, but sometimes it is hard. Know this, you are not alone here, and the shadow being cast points to the existence of that Light. Head towards the Light, let him be your guide and help. Take it in your stride . . . further up and further in.

Or maybe we think: "Sometimes I feel invincible, but sometimes I feel invisible." Take this as a word of encouragement. You are known and noticed. I know people don't say it often enough, and I know it isn't always obvious. Nonetheless, we see you. You feel invisible, but your presence often encourages the rest of us. We see how you handle hard times, we see how you care for others, and we see your struggle complete with victories and sometimes defeat. Nonetheless, we see you. We see you get up again, and we derive hope. "If that person can do it, so can I" we think in our sometimes overstimulated and worn out minds. Your willingness to get up, to continue, to "fight the good fight" causes courage and hope to rise up in many of us. And we are grateful. You are not invisible, but you are a hero to many of us.

As we press on to the Light, may we find encouragement in the fact that Jesus is the pioneer of our faith, he is the one paving our way forward. Yes, times may be hard and darkness may seem to win, but the Truth will win in the end. Please remember this--obedience to Jesus is success. Your obedience even in the hard times is a blessing to others. Thank you, and keep moving forward. Head to the Light, Jesus is there and you'll find your rest with him one day. Mourning last for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Let's keep moving forward to joy and rest. 

Thanks for reading! 

Undone . . . Pulled Apart . . . A time for rest

The meditation below was written originally several years ago. The sentiment and the experience are still the same, but the circumstances have changed a bit.

You see, I am getting closer to celebrating my 60th birthday. I am firmly on the downward side of my quest to live for 100 years. The very thought that I have lived 6 decades has given me pause. For some of my readers 60 seems pretty old, perhaps for others it seems a bit young. All I know is that it has caused me to pause and to reflect on my life.

I am a words of affirmation kind of person, and as such I love to give encouragement to others (and to receive it too!). On the other hand, there are those times where I feel incredibly unnoticed and irrelevant and even melancholy in some ways. Today is one of those days. I noticed my frustration level was a bit higher than usual (not sure why). I feel like my day has started with me already running behind in lots of things. I mean, my day (it is only 10:20!) already seems a bit undone. So, this morning as I contemplated my situation, the post below kind of summed up my mood. I thought I'd repost it for that reason (and maybe it will encourage some of you).

As you stand before God undone today, as you unravel in his presence, cling tightly to the promise that he has given--"I will never leave you nor forsake you." Stand or sit before Jesus and just let your life pause before him for a moment. Join me and come undone. Let's unravel in his presence. I hope you enjoy this little meditation from 2008.

Today as I drove to work, I couldn't help a bit of melancholy.

The weather was cool, traffic was light, the music was breezy, the mountains were august, the sun brilliant, . . .

and I was melancholy.

As I drove I began to think of Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah for some reason. Each of these individuals had an amazing encounter with God. Abraham (while still "Abram") encountered the God of covenants. During a dream at night terrors seized Abram as he saw the torch of God move between the divided carcasses of the animal sacrifices. Abram was undone.

Moses encountered God first as an enigma. Moses saw a bush that was on fire and yet not burning. He went closer, he heard God, he took off his shoes. He was undone, his life would never be the same.

Isaiah lost a friend and a hero. When King Uzziah died, Isaiah wept and went into deep mourning. During his depression, Isaiah had a vision. Angels flew about, the holiness and awesomeness of God shook the foundation and pillars of the Temple.

God spoke, Isaiah trembled.

When Isaiah dared to speak in this holy company, the words out of his mouth were "Woe is me, I am undone!"

As I understand it, the Hebrew here has the meaning of being unzipped from the belly to the neck so that your insides spill out.

Okay, maybe I'm stretching it a bit, but it was not a happy thought for Isaiah. He felt unraveled in the presence of God.

That kind of describes my melancholy today . . . I feel unraveled. Like a ball of yarn that has lost its consistency, I am loose and dangly.

Like a sweater pulled apart thread-by-thread, I am undone.

I look at the majesty around me, the beauty and holiness and awe-fulness of it all, and I find myself undone.

It is not a bad feeling necessarily, but it is a bit unnerving.

I feel unraveled.

Like a joke with no punch line, or a sitcom with no laugh track, or a book with no thesis or direction, or a story with no meaning . . .

I feel undone.

How do I explain what is happening in my heart when words seem hard to find?

Life is good, things seem to be fine, but I feel . . . well, what?

I think that this is a normal human emotion, and it is one I've encountered before. I'm not depressed; in fact, I'm not really sad at all! I'm actually smiling as I type these words!

I sit here in the midst of an august band of people, activities, and stuff, and I feel a bit unraveled.

Maybe I'm just relaxing . . . loosening things a bit in preparation for the next battle or the next activity or the next thing.

Maybe it is a "Selah," a sort of pause of spirit that causes me to reflect a bit.

It is a good thing, I think, to be unraveled before God and his wonderful creation.

So, like Paul, I will relish in my unraveling, in my undoing, in my weakness . . . for when I am weak, God is strong. When I am undone, God still does. When I am unraveled, Jesus holds all things together.

I smile, I sigh. I listen to U2 and Larry Norman and Bob Dylan.

I will go find some Jonny Lang or Switchfoot. I will relish in the tones, in the thoughts, in the music. I will unravel before God and just be. I will let myself be undone so that he can renew me.

What a wonderful life!

Thanks for reading!