I recently saw someone with a T-shirt that I loved.  It Had a pictures of some guys on a boat in a storm and said, Jesus took naps.  Be like Jesus.  It literally made me laugh out loud when I saw it.  The interesting thing is that God actually takes rest very seriously.   He rests at the end of Creation and then makes that day a holy day of rest and worship.  The Bible actually tells us to rest 831 times.  We are told not just to rest physically but also to rest in Jesus in the midst of life’s difficulties that we all face.  In this particular passage Jesus had just been quite busy healing many people and gets in the boat to cross to the other side and takes a quick nap.  He ends up reminding the disciples to rest in Him.  Let’s look at the passage together today

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Perhaps you are in need of rest today.  Maybe life has thrown out some tough challenges to you.  Rest in Jesus because He is in control and He loves you.  Also do not neglect physical rest as well.  We all need it.  Biblical rest is not only something we do for our body, soul, and spirit, but a form of worship and a way to experience more of Jesus’ love for us. Deep rest is when we completely trust the sovereignty of God and lean into His Holy Spirit even in the midst of the craziest situations.  May we all experience the rest of Jesus today!

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave