Before we continue, we should focus more on living in subjection to Christ. Today’s church, particularly in the United States, is in trouble. Attendance is declining, the church’s influence is declining, and our cultures and communities are increasingly becoming secular. While some may say this is not a bad thing (secularism), there is no doubt that we are leaning away from morality and unity.
A significant problem in our Christian lives is that we believe on Christ, but then we look for something else to satisfy our deepest longings. I have been guilty of the same practice, so I can’t lay blame on others here. We look for comfort, peace in our homes, less suffering, satisfaction in life, prosperity, more souls coming to Christ, or growing churches. Christ never promises any of these, and if we are not careful, all of these things, while not inherently wrong, become idols.
It is, as if to say, that Christ is not sufficient for us. We’re longing for something more, such as, maybe, a self-help book. This is an element in the temptation to which Adam and Eve fell, and the same temptation plagued the people of Israel in the exodus and throughout the Old Testament. Christ is not sufficient for us, and we’re always longing for more.
In Isaiah 30:15, we read, “For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.’ But you were not willing.”
The people of Israel were in trouble, facing an enemy army. In a panic, they reached out to Egypt for help. However, God warned them that Egypt would be of no use to them. Their problem was far deeper; their problem was one of sin. We often loath turning toward God, but we fail to see that we are indeed turning. Israel was turning to Egypt for rescue. Any time we do not return to God (repentance), we are in fact turning toward something else. Either way, we are turning our hearts, minds, and actions.
Repentance can literally represent here returning or restoring what was lost. Generally, repentance simply means to turn away from sin. We daily need to repent, for we are often prone to turning away from the Lord. Notice, however, what God says after that. “Rest”. “In quietness and trust is your strength”.
We see in creation that after six days God rested. He ceased from His labor. The rest here means much the same. Repent and return to the Lord, and don’t look for anything else outside of God. Hudson Taylor would tell his missionaries. “Rest. In the Lord.” He would emphasize that, while we are to rest in the Lord, we are simply to rest. Lay aside all anxiety, questioning, fear, and doubt. We find our rest in the Lord. Hudson Taylor faced many alarming challenges, some of which wanted to elicit panic. Rest. In the Lord. As he rested, he found the Lord to be sufficient for each moment.
To help us understand what “rest” means, God says “in quietness and trust is your strength”. God is calling us to repent and return to Him, and then to rest in our trust in Him.
We manifest our subjection to Christ through our trust in Him. We trust and rest knowing that Christ is sufficient. He is asking us to simply find everything we need and everything about ourselves in Christ. Rest. Trust in the Lord.
We may not have everything we’re looking for after believing on Christ. Following Christ does not necessarily mean having an easier go of things. In trusting and believing in Christ, we are called to rest. He is enough for us, and we must trust that what we receive from Christ’s hand is sufficient.
Rest. In the Lord. This is our subjection to Christ. Some say that in eternity God sees everything as if it is present and that in eternity we will live in the present as well. All we have in this life and in this world is the present moment. Our trouble is that we are constantly looking to the future for something better. Then, we miss Christ in the present moment. Living in subjection to Christ means trusting in Him in this present moment. We are not to be looking for something else, something more than Christ. Rest. In Christ. Rest in this present moment that Christ is sufficient.
Our obedience to Christ and our subjection to Christ must be lived out in the present moment. Rest. Trust that obedience to Christ each moment is sufficient. In this way, we will be a light in the community. In our rest, we will be a clean channel for God’s grace to flow into the lives of others. In our rest, we may not have less suffering, but we prepare ourselves to receive Christ’s strength to endure. In our rest, we may not have easier relationships, but we can stand before Christ with a clear conscience and rest in Christ for the outcome.
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