Possess God's Rest

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.... Let us labour therefore to enter into
that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

– Hebrews 4:9,11
God’s rest. Considering the hectic, busy lives you and I live that sounds like a pretty good thing to have,
doesn’t it? But exactly what is that rest? And how do we enter it?

The third and fourth chapters of Hebrews compare God’s rest with the children of Israel taking
possession of the Promised Land. That land was to be a place where their every need would be met, a
place of freedom from their warring enemies, a place no one would ever drive them from again. All they
had to do was go in and possess it. But something kept them from it: unbelief and disobedience.

As believers, we too, have the opportunity to enter a promised land of abundance and peace. A land
where we can rest from our struggles and enjoy the victory of God. To enter it we must do what the
children of Israel failed to do. We must simply trust God and obey His voice.

How do you come to that place of trust and obedience? By getting to know your Father. By spending
time fellowshiping with Him in prayer and in the Word. That is the labor that will bring you into His rest!

I’ll never forget when I first discovered that. I had been learning the principles of faith, striving hard to
do them. It seemed back then that keeping doubt and unbelief out of my heart was difficult. Then, one
day, I began to labor to know the Father instead of just knowing about Him.

When I did that, He began to reveal Himself to me. He gave me glimpses of His heart, His nature and His
love. As He revealed to me how much He wanted to do for His children, it changed my striving into
peace, my doubt into trust, my fear into bold obedience. It enabled me to enter His rest.

Get to know your Father. Work at it. Make it your “labor.” He has a promised land of rest that is waiting
for you!