Deuteronomy 25:19
“Therefore it shall come about when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget.”
The last time, the developmental stages of a christian were addressed. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, that “you will find rest for your souls.” While christians at all levels of maturity have this, those that have walked with Christ and have learned to trust Him have this more as a constant.
Today, rest will be addressed in a different way; as a season. God instituted the sabbath day to provide a day of rest. The others involve work, family obligations and all sorts of duties. However, He wants us to rest on a regular basis.
The sabbath day comes in a cycle. It shows up every seventh day. We look forward to the weekends, so we can have some fun. The seasons are also cyclical. Some seasons are more difficult. The winter months aren’t seen as recreational; neither is fall. It’s time to start school or harvest the crops. Spring is time to plant. However, the weather begins to warm. We feel a lifting of the cold. People tend to celebrate summer. That’s when vacations are taken. This is analogous to our faith. We have times of work and rest; times of darkness and times of dawn.
Psalm 23 is a good example. Most of it involves the sheep feeling nourished and cared for. However, there is the time of walking through the dark valleys. It’s part of the journey. These times aren’t as predictable as the seasons, but that’s how it tends to be. The good shepherd is guiding us. We can trust Him.
The apostles went through plenty of struggles. However, they also had their times of celebration. Acts 12 has Peter is prison. Shortly thereafter, he joins his christian family. The Lord gives us the rest we need, when we need it. Proverbs 16:9 says, “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”
Lord, thanks for the seasons of rest that You provide.