The Quest for Rest

Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. — Joshua 1:6

Every epic quest has peril, an evil villain, an insurmountable problem, a hero, and a spectacular ending when all is made right. Joshua and the Israelites’ quest to enter God’s rest is no exception. Before they could dwell with God in the land where He promised them rest, they had to drive out the enemies living there. They faced the peril of walled cities, expertly trained soldiers, superior weaponry, and an enemy who knew they were coming. But none of that mattered because God was on their side.

He exhorted Joshua as the Israelites’ leader to be strong and courageous — not terrified or discouraged in the face of what seemed like unbeatable odds. God promised to be with them to help them overcome every peril on their quest as long as they obeyed His words.

In the same way, we face a battle with sin, our great enemy, in our quest to enter God’s rest. We are in danger of missing the extraordinary blessing of God’s rest because sin separates us from God. Like the Israelites, we do not have to face our battle alone, as God sent the ultimate Hero, Jesus Christ, who is the only One who can clear the enemy of sin from the land of our hearts. Just as God saved Joshua and the Israelites from their adversaries, Jesus’ death and resurrection can save all people completely from the wrath due them for their sins.

We win the battle by obeying God’s command to repent (turning away from our sins), receiving Christ’s gift of forgiveness, and walking in the power He gives us to lead new lives. Then we can enter His rest.

Our Hero makes all things right in the end.

Jesus’ death and resurrection wash away the sin in our hearts, restore our relationship with God, and regenerate us to make us new from the inside out. He knows we could never win this battle alone, so He does the fighting for us. What a relief! And He continues to fight for us our whole lives in our quest to drive out the enemies of sin that creep in over time and try to get in the way of our relationship with God. We can rest knowing we have a Hero in Jesus who saves us.

Father, help me to be strong and courageous — knowing You will give me victory to wage all-out war against anything that keeps me from You. I invite You to cleanse my heart and gratefully receive You gift of forgiveness so I can be at rest.

Excerpted from Sacred Rest by Cheryl Wunderlich.

Sacred Rest ~ Finding the Sabbath in the Everyday by Cheryl Wunderlich You can experience both rewarding work and rejuvenating rest. Accept God’s invitation, and taste the welcome relief of a life balanced in His rest. Sacred Rest offers insight, prayers, and exercises to help you practice steps to a life that is rich and at ease.     SHOP NOW

"I had spent my entire life doing things for God but had missed knowing Him intimately because my life was void of rest. That’s what busyness does." -Cheryl Wunderlich Sacred Rest features 100 devotions interspersed with prayers and Scripture verses that will be welcome relief in our stressed and overwhelmed culture. Your to-do list is beyond taming, and your commitments are unavoidable. How could you allow yourself to rest in busy times like these? What would rest even look like in your life? Author Cheryl Wunderlich knows these questions well. After years caught up in the whirlwind of family life, motherhood, work, and ministry, she couldn’t imagine allowing rest for herself—until cancer forced her to stop.  In her crushing battle with exhaustion, she began to hear God’s still, small voice inviting her to hope, be restored, and to find deep soul-quenching rest in Him. God’s rest was her way back to life. In Sacred Rest, these 100 devotions offer prayers, Scripture verses, personal insights, and biblical perspectives on God’s loving gift and command to us: Rest. Be still. You can experience both rewarding work and rejuvenating rest. Accept God’s invitation, and taste the welcome relief of a life balanced in His rest!