Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/86

Contributor - Rev. James Moerman

Title - Meditation

Topic - Meditation

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you Rest. (Matthew 11:28)

There is a good chance that when you read this meditation, you will be either on or near your vacation time. Vacation is a time when we try to "get away" and find some rest for our over-worked (under-paid?) bodies. Right?

Some cynical person once said: "A vacation consists of 2 weeks that are 2 short, after which you are 2 tired 2 return 2 work and 2 broke not 2".

The world we live in knows little rest. Life in the fast lane is the rule rather than the exception, People race everywhere - to work, to be first in line at the Woolco "door crashes' sale. They race to make their dentist appointment, and they race to church on Sunday morning. They even race to their vacation destination! If you don't think we live in a rest-less society, try driving at 40 kph in a 50 kph zone. If you're not run off the road altogether, at the very least you'll catch an earful of sharp horn blasts, receive some angry glares, and probably learn a new word or two!

Because of this restless world we call home, the majority of us feel overwhelmingly compelled to take a summer vacation, to "get away from it all". By all accounts, this is a healthy thing to do. But the experience of most is that after"getting away from it all" for a few weeks, we come back to find that"if' is still waiting for us! Our re-charged batteries often become depleted again in short order. How we need some rest that will last. Well cheer up! There's Good News.

Jesus said: "Come unto me all you who are weak and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest'(Matt 11:28).

The rest that Jesus offers is not the same kind of rest a vacation offers. A vacation offers rest away from the Rat Race. But Jesus offers rest in the midst of the Rat Race. A wise man once said that rest does not consist in the absence of work but in the presence of God. That's it! If we depend on our vacations to provide us with the rest, we will find ourselves in sorry shape from September through June. But as we depend on Christ for rest we find that He is our Strength twelve months a year!

All this certainly sounds fine in theory, to"let Christ be our strength twelve months a year"'. But how do we put the wheels on this fine-sounding solution? Exactly HOW do we go about making this a reality in our daily-grind lives? Following are four practical "wheels" for you to go "four-wheelin"' on:

1. Spend time with the Giver of Rest: I find that the morning is the only logical and practical choice for a quiet time with God. If I don't sit down with my Lord before 8:00 a.m., it simply will not happen because of the demands of the day. For many of you, even an earlier sacrifice of time will be required.

2. Search the Word for daily direction - and read slowly: The Word of God is incredibly rich and has a multitude of applications to our daily lives. So don't read it like a novel - read it carefully and intently, noticing all the words and how they're joined together. Take your time!

3. Listen for the Creator's creative ideas: I freely tell anyone that almost every "creative idea I've had, has come from the Creator of ideas. My ideas and "brainstorms" often peeter out like an unwatered seed planted in shallow soil. But HIS ideas work - every time! And they bear fruit tremendous fruit! What a source of rest to realize that you don't need to come up with your own ideas whether at work at home or in the church. We ask the Creator of all things for creative ideas and He freely gives!

4. Ask the Holy Spirit to be your strength and "power-pack' for the present day: Freely acknowledge your own weakness and frailty. We are powerless, ineffective creatures on our own, but when we team up with the inexhaustible power of Holy Spirit (notice the absence of the word "the" He's a He!), we are transformed into powerful, effective workers in His Kingdom! On our own we tire out easily, but with Him we can "run and not grow weary; walk and not faint' (Isaiah 40:31).

These words that I write have a special relevance to my own situation. Presently, I find myself significantly "over-employed" with four part-time jobs: one of which includes working as the half-time associate pastor of the Grace Community Church in Surrey, B.C. Not long ago, after a long stretch of rest-less day, I found myself tense, drawn-out, nervous and near the breaking point - like a rubber band stretched out to the limit. I needed to learn anew Jesus' words: "Come to me! I will give you rest."

Happy four-wheelin'!!!

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