Everyone needs to rest at some point! If you’ve been going through a prolonged period of hardship due to … your business, your family, your relationships, your finances, or your children, you still must learn how to rest in the Lord, even in the middle of that difficult situation you are facing. If you don’t, the battle will wear you out!
That’s why Paul told the Thessalonians, “And to you who are troubled rest with us....”1
The word “rest” comes from the Greek word anesis, which means to let up, to relax, to stop being stressed, or to find relief. One scholar comments that the word anesis was used in the secular Greek world to denote the release of a bowstring that has been under great pressure.
It was also used figuratively to mean relaxation from the stresses of life and freedom to have a little recreation. By using this word, Paul urges the believers in the city of Thessalonica to find relief from the constant stress they are undergoing as a result of opposition to their faith. Paul exhorts them to let it go, shake it off, and learn how to relax, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
An interpretive translation of this verse could be: “To you who are still going through difficulties right now, it’s time for you to let up, take a breather, and relax. We know what it’s like to be under pressure, but no one can stay under that kind of stress continuously. So join us in learning how to loosen up a bit. Shake off your troubles, and allow yourself a little relaxation and time for recreation....”
I realize that when you’re dealing with problems, a vacation is the last thing on your mind! You just want to survive the challenge and make a transition into the next phase of your life—and to do it as soon as possible! You may even feel that it’s irresponsible for you to put up your feet and relax for a while. But even God rested on the seventh day!
Take Paul’s counsel to heart, and allow yourself a little relaxation and time for recreation—time away from your problems. When it’s time to come back and face those problems again, you’ll be refreshed and recharged with renewed vision. You’ll see that challenge with new eyes, and you’ll face it with new strength.
So say goodbye to your problems today. Take a break, and allow yourself a little time to rest, relax, and recuperate!—Rick Renner2
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When wearied with the strain of it all, you can fly to God on the wings of prayer and faith and get the relief that He alone can give you.—David Brandt Berg
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There is a time and a purpose under heaven for all things: a time to work, a time to rest. A time to seek, a time to find. A time to pray, a time to play. All is not work and all is not rest. All is not prayer and all is not recreation. There is a time to rest and recuperate.
When you rest, I can give you the freshness that you need to do that which you must do. Don’t worry about what is ahead or what is not being accomplished. As you rest I can show you how you can do what must be done. I can speak to your heart and you will hear Me more clearly, for you will not have your mind cluttered with the worries, cares, and affairs of this life.
When you take time away from your work and you rest, in body and in spirit, you will receive clarity in your thinking and renewal of your spirit, body, and outlook. You will see your work in a new light, for you have renewed strength.
It is not enough to rest only in spirit—your body also needs rest. Your body houses your spirit, and when your body is weary and weak and under constant strain and stress, your spirit is also affected. Together they are one, and both must rest. The body is refreshed through relaxation, sleep, and recreation. And the spirit is refreshed through prayer and the infilling of My Word. Through this you will find the rest that you need, that you may be strengthened and refreshed in Me.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
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Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.—Psalm 37:73
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You’ve toiled so long and hard in the field of harvest. Your hands and feet ache, your body is weary, and you deserve some time of respite. Just relax your mind, body, and spirit. Let My Spirit flow all over you like a soothing oil. Let peace and quiet overcome all the cares and worries of your work. Your service for Me you will have always with you, so put it aside and take some time to love and appreciate Me, and to simply relax and enjoy Me and My creation.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
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And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”—Mark 6:31
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Life is not a contest to see how tired or weary you can get. This race is long enough that all will be tired many times at many points. There’s no worth in trying to prove your stamina to Me or others by carrying your own burdens and tiring yourself out. There will be many times when you need to work hard and push, but there also need to be many times to rest. Take your rest, My dear one; lay down your burdens. Relax and rest in My arms. Let Me carry you for a while. You’ve done much for Me and I know you will do so again, but let Me hold you now and replenish your strength.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.—Psalm 23:1–3
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And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”—Exodus 33:14
Published on Anchor November 2013. Read by Simon Peterson.
Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 2 Thessalonians 1:7 NKJ.
2 Excerpted from a devotional in Sparkling Gems from the Greek (Harrison House, 2003).
3 Unless otherwise indicated, the scriptures in this compilation are from the ESV.
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