Rest

“And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.” Gen. 2:2.

            We have had an amazing two weeks of visiting holy places and archeological sites. We have seen the ruins of palaces and the resting places of patriarchs. We have climbed up the Mountain of Temptation and looked down into the Valley of the Shadow of Death from Psalm 23. It has been two action packed weeks of memories to never be forgotten and opportunities for prayer that only come once in a lifetime. The schedule has, however, been a wearying one. Today was therefore designated as a day of rest.

            Genesis tells us that, when God created the world, he looked and saw that it was good. He then took the seventh day and rested. The fact that something is good does not mean that it is effortless. Our experiences here have helped to show us that. Looking back at the time we have already spent in the Holy Land I can say that for me it has been good and yet when the opportunity for rest came, I realized that I needed it. Just a day or two before and I would have told you that a day off was unnecessary. Yet by today I realized just how tired I had become. Taking today and making it void of formal activities allowed for plenty of opportunities to pray and simply be with our Lord while here in the Holy Land. Back home it is easy to get into the swing of things and, like here, forget the importance of rest. However, it is not just rest from the physical that is needed. We need to remember to rest in the Lord. We must take time out of our hectic schedules so as to embrace silence and come to a deeper appreciation of the actions of God in our lives. It is by resting in the Lord that we will be energized so as to go forth into the world and experience what God has in store for us.