For quite some time now the Lord has been dealing with me to “enter into His rest.” In the Old Testament the high priest was not allowed to sweat when he entered the Holy of Holies. Sweat is a sign of work and God wants us to enter into His rest. What does this mean? In simple terms, it means to never worry about anything! This is the rest of God.
You can reach a point where you trust Him so much that you know that you know everything in your life is going to be okay. Yes, hardships will come but what does Ps. 23 say? “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.” That verse describes the rest of God. Even though we are all in circumstances we’d rather not be in we can still have peace and joy and enter into the rest of God.
This place of rest has become my dwelling place. I trust God and I have entered into His rest. We must all reach a point where we realize we can’t make it on our own. An old saying goes like this: “God helps those who help themselves.” Wrong! If you can help yourself then what do you need God for? The truth is, God helps those who can’t help themselves. This is why Jesus is called “Savior.” He is here to save us when we can’t save ourselves. Once we realize that, we are free to enter His rest.
Too often we want to help ourselves or get help from our spouse, our friends, the church, or the government. But what does the Bible say? “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though it’s waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with it’s swelling” (Ps. 46:1-3).
Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord. When we trust Him completely we have entered into the rest of God. We no longer worry about anything. And then, in the midst of our darkest hour, God will reach down and bless us with a blessing that I call the “Midnight Dance.” Just what is the “Midnight Dance”? Glad you asked. Read on…
My wife is one remarkable woman. Anne Marie is the type of individual that only comes around once in a lifetime. You can never tell by looking at her all that she’s been through. She is so full of life and the joy of the Lord radiates out of her. She makes all those who come in contact with her believe that life isn’t so bad. You just feel better about yourself by being with her but for a few moments. There are times when Anne gets so outgoing happy that it flows out of her like a rushing river. There’s a bounce in her step and the sound of her voice is a merry melody. She can be super exuberant even during the darkest of times and this blesses me so much.
Last Friday she was like this and when I called her on my break at work she talked my head off. She was so outgoing I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Later that night as I was leaving work at a little after 11PM my cell phone rang and Anne informed me that she was going to walk and meet me at the highway which is about a mile and a half from our house. She stayed on the line and I talked to her - or should I say I listened to her? - all during the half hour ride home. I would interrupt her from time to time to let her know where I was and she’d do the same. It was turning out to be a fun filled ride. Better than I ever imagined.
As I approached the turn-off to our little village a car in front of me turned down the same road and Anne said she could see me. I said, “No! That’s not me! I’m the next car!” I could only imagine what awaited the driver of that car had I not warned Anne that it was not me. I laughed at the thought. Anne was on a stretch of road with no lights or houses nearby and it was pitch black outside. I told her, “Get ready. Here I come. I’m about to make the turn.” When I did she confirmed that she saw me.
Out in front of me was total darkness and I asked, “Where are you?” She said, “I’m right in front of you! Can’t you see me?” Just then my headlights caught sight of her and there she was in the center of the road at midnight waving her arms in the air dancing just for me!! Here she was, in the darkest hour of the night, dancing in the middle of the road without a care in the world. All I could do was stop the car and laugh.
As she approached the car the sound of laughter broke through the stillness of the dark night. This is how it is with God. You may not always see Him in your circumstances but He is always there. During your darkest hour He can give you joy unspeakable. When you trust Jesus you can enter His rest and dance the “Midnight Dance.” Jesus is not the light at the end of the tunnel. No, He’s the light “in” the tunnel. No matter how dark your circumstances may be, you can still rejoice in the Lord and dance the “Midnight Dance.” For sure, this is the rest of God.
(Note: I have included with this story the attachment of Anne's story called "As She Sleeps." It deals with her head on struggle with domestic violence in a past marriage and how she trusted God to give her strength in the midst of adversity. Be forewarned, this story has brought tears to many who have read it.)
