How to Rest with Intentionality
Liz Hoyt · Tidal Church Moncton · July 31, 2022 · Recharge series
Liz Hoyt centres on Psalm 23 to show that lasting rest comes from Jesus, our Shepherd, not from vacations or days off. He gives peace in the midst of trouble, and we can find refreshment in Him daily.
More from Liz Hoyt · The Recharge series
Topics: Peace, Fear & Anxiety, Discipleship
Transcript
[0:00] How many of you are in need of a vacation right now? Oh, the hand, and obviously maybe you're not vacation, because this is a long weekend and you are here today. Maybe not running the roads. I thank you for being here. Now, the other question is, have you just been on a vacation and maybe you need another one? Ha ha, how often has that happened when we have vacations and we have our days off? They feel fantastic and they are needed in times, creating memories, getting away from routine, connecting with our people. They are restful. But how restful are they? If we look at rest in the dictionary, it says to us.
[0:45] It is the ceasing of work or movement in order to relax, refresh ourselves, or recover strength. So to relax, refresh, recover our strength. How many, does that sound good? I mean, who is looking for some refreshment in their life right now? Because guess what? I know that I'm tired. I work a full-time job. I have a house at home. I'm trying to take care of, there's meals to be fed, a bathtub to be washed. I've got to go out and weed the garden, there's appointments and errands I've got to run. I am tired. Is there anybody else here who's tired? I'm not alone, is what I'm thinking. And all of these things take time and they take energy.
[1:35] But I am longing for deep rest and restoration. But I tell you, there is no vacation. There is no day off. There is no weekend away that is going to fully and completely refresh you and recharge you. Because we know that rest, it can feel elusive. Can't grasp it, and what the world promises will give us rest and rejuvenation gives us only temporary relief to a much deeper problem. We're chasing after rest like we're chasing after happiness, the mindset of, if we just keep going, we can just make it to the vacation that we've planned out with the girls or the guys in September.
[2:27] We're going to make it. Or the fact that, okay, I can get through my day if only I can get to the moment tonight where I can put my feet up in front of Netflix. Right? We're always chasing after. But there is nothing, nothing in this world that can provide you that soul-touching, deeply felt rest, except for Jesus Himself. And I'm talking more than just the rest that you feel when the baby slept in two extra hours and you got to sleep. Right? And I'm talking more than the rest that you feel when you have laid back for the last day and a half, watched the last 30 episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Well, you've been binging on the Ghirardelli brownies you just, you know, baked last night.
[3:15] I'm talking more than that. I'm talking more than the day off you had, more than the vacation you had. I am speaking more rest than all of those things that they offer. And do you get the feeling that we pursue these moments, these vacation moments, these days off, as a time to escape and find relief and rest, but once they are over, we don't always feel relieved, rested, restored. Because there is more to rest than this, and until we learn how to find rest in our spirits, we will never truly find rest.
[4:03] Because there's no vacation long enough and no amount of days off that will fully satisfy. Because true rest isn't available only once every couple months or only on the weekends or one day a week. Rest is found daily, sustainable, in Jesus. Because it says God. He doesn't teach us that we find rest from our trouble. But we can find rest in the midst of our trouble. It doesn't say God doesn't say that He will, we will find rest from trouble, but that we will find rest in the midst of their trouble.
[4:48] God doesn't give us escape. He gives us strength and peace as we walk through our struggles, and rest isn't the absence of trouble. It's not going to disappear, folks. I'm sorry. It's not. But it is finding rest in the midst of it all. This morning, I want to take a look at a familiar passage. You probably have heard it at a funeral. You might have read it and memorized it as a child. But it is a passage that radiates peace, rest, refreshment for the soul, and yet it's something that we too often find to be elusive.
[5:36] So Psalm 23 sets the stage where true rest comes from and the kind of rest that we long for, the refreshment of the soul. So it was written by David, who was shepherd turned king, and he was not immune to life's difficulties, personal struggles. And yet in this psalm, he talks about true refreshment found in the journey, not from escaping it. Because God doesn't teach us that we find rest from trouble or rest in the midst of trouble. So can we read Psalm 23, and if you know it, you can even read it along with me. The Lord is my shepherd.
[6:23] I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul, and He guides me along the right path for His name's sake, and even though I walk through the darkest valleys, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows, and surely goodness and love they will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in a house of the Lord forever.
[7:18] So we know that culturally we have an obsession. Am I right? With the pursuit of more. More money, but also more fame, more reputation, more happiness, more perfection. The pursuit of more is tiring. But take a look at verse 1. If you go back to verse 1 and it says, The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. Whoo, let me say it again: I lack nothing. You and I, we lack nothing in Christ. We lack nothing.
[8:03] So why are we so tired from pursuing all of the other things in life, because it says in Christ we lack nothing. There is nothing that I pursue outside of Jesus that can bring me more joy, more peace, and more rest, because I already have it, because it says I lack nothing. We can find rest in the knowledge that Christ, He has provided all that you need and all that I need, and I can trust Him to provide all, because I lack nothing.
[8:55] And it gives me relief. It gives me rest from the daily pressures to know that I don't have to handle them, that Christ has provided, because I lack nothing. Breathe it in. Trust Him. Find rest in that. If we turn to verse 2: He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters, and He refreshes my soul. Now, this verse had me slightly more perplexed. When He takes me to lie down in green pastures, because I know that it seems pretty straightforward, because when we think of green pastures, it's not what David, our author, is thinking of, because there are Judean pastures that look more like this. They are dry, dirty, sandy, and there are more rocks than there are grass. So when David was talking about green pastures, he was talking more about pastures like this, not about the pastures that I would picture.
[10:08] This is what I pictured, laying down in the beautiful green pastures, breathing in God's nature. This is not what I pictured. But the west wind blows in some dew and will water some grass, and there are sprigs of grass that are over the pastures. And we can look closely, we can see them now in this pasture. It's pretty obvious where the grass is. It's everywhere, right? But here you need a shepherd to lead you. You need a shepherd to bring you to the green pastures David shows us here.
[10:59] That the shepherd, the Christ, is the great Shepherd, and He leads us. He leads us. We need to allow Him to lead us to green pastures, quiet waters. And He alone restores our souls as we have been conditioned to go, go, go, go, go, right? I mean, we've even heard someone, I know I'm guilty of this often, people will say, "How you doing?" "I'm busy." And it's almost like a badge of honor. I'm busy, right? We go, we go, we go, and we race from one vacation to the next night off, to a weekend away, and we rely on those small moments in time to refresh us.
[11:46] I can't wait till vacation when I can lay down my burdens and take a rest. The problem is they follow us. They come home with us. And vacation only becomes a temporary relief. And we race from one moment in time to the next, and neglecting the daily journey of finding rest in Jesus, taking time to be still in His presence, to read His Word, talk to Him, the kind of foundational rest that undergirds our entire journey with Christ. Without this foundational daily rest, we are bound to lead a very weary life.
[12:39] We are tired because God doesn't teach us that we're going to find rest from the trouble when we escape on vacation, but rest in the midst of our trouble, in the midst of our life, in the middle of the day when you're having a hard time at work, or some family member has called and they're in crisis. God can give you rest and peace in the midst of that, but we need Christ to lead us there, because you know the verse Matthew 11:28. Come to Me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and He says, I, Jesus, will give you rest.
[13:31] You take a look at the second part of verse 3. He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake. Okay, picture this with me. Many of you probably drive. I'm assuming, and if you've ever driven on a dark night, gripping the steering wheel, the rain is coming down. You can barely see, you're kind of hunched over the wheel, you are focused, and you are tense, and you are on, right? That feeling, that feeling is the feeling I often can find, I feel like, in life.
[14:20] And in life, I'm gripping the wheel. Are you gripping the wheel pretty tight? And Jesus is saying here, "Let Me help you take the wheel." "No, I'm good. I got it." That's tense. I've got this feeling of, I'm in control. I don't need You, right? But are you allowing Him to take the wheel of your life and allowing Him to lead you? Because when you let go of the wheel and you allow God to lead you along the right paths, it's a whole lot more refreshing than when you've got it gripped in your hands. But the problem is, often we don't trust Him to do that, because we trust ourselves way more.
[15:16] Trust your Shepherd. He knows you. He wants what's best for you. Let go and let God. Do you trust Him? Do you trust Him to give you that rest? Do you trust Jesus to lead you and to have your best interest in mind? Do you need to be in control? Can you give up control and allow yourself to be led? It can be very freeing to allow God to take the wheel. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own. If I was in Kids World, I'd be leaning not on your own understanding.
[16:09] In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. So if we were all to reflect for a moment, I'm not asking for raise of hand. But how many of you would say that you're not doing so great right now? That you are walking through a dark valley, a time that you feel lost. Maybe lonely, attacked, maybe hopeless. Maybe you're constantly on guard, you're weary. If we look to verse 4, this is the promise for you, because even though I walk through the darkest valley, when you're weary, on guard, and alone, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
[17:05] To me, this is the promise for those that are walking through dark valleys. He gives bravery, courage, and protection, and peace when you are in the dark valley. He has promised this. Your great Shepherd has promises, even when He talks about the rod. The rod was actually a short rod that a shepherd would tuck into their belt, and it was also called a cudgel. I found this out. I Googled. Google, thank you. So it was a rod, and He pulls it out and He beats off the enemies, He beats off the predators, right, with His staff. He used that to guide and keep them away from physical danger.
[17:52] But Jesus, is that for you? He is standing there with His rod protecting you. He is using His staff to guide you. He is walking with you in that valley. And that brings me great relief and security. It's kind of like when you're walking in a dark, dark tunnel. I do not like the dark. I'm actually slightly afraid of it, if we're fully confessing here. And if I'm walking in a dark, dark tunnel, but if I know that my husband is with me and I'm huddling in, I feel great relief.
[18:37] And that is Christ walking with you in your valley. He is walking with you; you are not alone, because He promises, even in the midst of your dark valleys, for you to find rest. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely, surely Your goodness and mercy and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I actually thought of ending at verse 4, but I just wanted to take a second to touch on verse 5 and 6, because in the last two verses, rather than described as a shepherd, God is described as a host.
[19:34] And as a host, a host provides what you need. And God knows what you need. And He has supplied it abundantly and lavishly. He supplies what we need, and He does this not just in my own home, but in the presence of my spiritual enemies. God offers protection. The anointing of oil is a picture of blessing on the believer, a life abundant with blessing, that His abundant love will pursue you all the days of your life. Even when you turn away, He will still pursue you, but lastly and most importantly, that we might dwell in the presence of Jesus and have communion and fellowship with Him, because with Jesus I lack nothing. Because with Jesus, He is my source of rest and restoration. Because with Jesus, my strength is restored. Because with Jesus, I am safe and I am protected. Because with Jesus, I am not alone in my dark valley. Because of Jesus, I am blessed. Because of Jesus, I have full access to full communion and fellowship with Him. Because of Jesus, we need rest.
[21:09] We need restoration. But we need it first to be rooted in Christ, not in what the world offers, but first we need our rest to be rooted in Christ. Because only Jesus can quench my thirsty soul, and it is something that can't be shaken. Unlike our vacations, right? How often have they been derailed? Like, vacation planned next week, caught a flu bug, vacation derailed, disappointed. Or that one night a week you had where you have the house to yourself, and then the husband has to work and he couldn't take the kids, and you're stuck home with everybody. Derailed, disappointed.
[22:01] Or that hike you were looking forward to taking, and it rains. Oh, Netflix is down; you were looking forward to binging for the night. Derailed, disappointed. But I tell you, Jesus never disappoints. Because vacations aren't gonna quite cut it. We need to daily, every day, every day take time and allow Jesus to restore you. Now, maybe you need to just take social media, and instead of picking it up first, maybe pull out a devotional first and read that. Maybe you need to take a walk in nature every day or every other day, or read that. There's an app called the Daily Bible Audio.
[22:57] It's a great app where you can even listen to the Bible every single day. However, wherever, whatever, whatever it is, just do it. Does it have to be every day? I know, actually, sometimes I find that I have been caught in the trap of, if it's not every morning at 5 a.m. where I stay up, I get two hours early to spend the time with the Lord, and I'm on my knees and spending time in my Bible, it's great. But it doesn't always have to be an everyday, and then you don't happen every day, and you get discouraged. It doesn't have to happen the same time, the same thing every day. I am a girl of diversity. I need one day that I need to go for a walk and talk to God in nature.
[23:46] There are sometimes I need to be alone with God, reading a devotional, maybe a different devotional to say it. Whatever it is, it does not have to look the same as the person who's sitting beside you. Just make it happen. Daily find refreshment in Jesus, because we can weave Jesus into our day by inviting Him to all aspects of our lives, and especially those that are exhausting. And we can weave Jesus into our day by sitting in His presence and meditating on God's word. And we can weave Jesus into our day by just trusting Him, that He can handle the big things and the little things, because God doesn't teach us that we find rest from trouble, but rest in the midst of trouble, not from our daily lives, but in the midst of our daily lives.
[25:01] God doesn't give us escape, but He does give a strength, peace as we walk through our struggles. Rest isn't the absence of trouble, but the ability to find it in the midst of it. Don't wait to finally stop this weekend. Don't wait to find rest on vacation next month. Today, find rest in Jesus. Can we just read Psalm 23 again? The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. And He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He refreshes my soul, and He guides me along the right paths for His name's sake, and even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You, God, is with me.
[26:04] Your rod, that cudgel, and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Our life is only as stable as the foundation that we've laid. What does your foundation look like? Have you laid a foundation in Jesus?
[26:50] Is He at the center of your rest? Because you'll find it no other place but in Him, because God doesn't teach us that we find rest from trouble, but in the midst of it. Jesus is the foundation of my life. Rest in that. Can we pray? Dear God, I thank You that You are all that I need, and daily I know I forget, and daily I have to kind of continuously redirect myself to remind myself that I need to rest in You because all the other things aren't going to cut it.
[27:41] Thank You for the peace that You offer me that could be found nowhere else. Thank You for that deep refreshment that You give me. God, I pray that all of us today would feed on that, that we would plug into Your strength and Your restoration, and that we would lay a foundation solely based on You. In Jesus' name, amen.