Guest Post by Rudina Bakalli in Albania
We tend to think of rest as the absence of problems or an improvement in our circumstances. And yet we live in a broken world, which together with our flesh and Satan are at war with us. How then do we rest? Is the expectation of rest realistic?
Psalm 46 is a Scripture passage that God has often brought to my mind. The psalmist speaks about the terror of war, the roaring of oceans, and the very earth-shaking.
Recently, my home city in Albania was shaken by the strongest earthquake we’ve experienced in 20 years, damaging 569 houses and injuring around 160 people. There was panic in the city as people were running to save their lives. Today a heavy thunderstorm follows the damage from the earthquake, flooding our home and the neighboring buildings. And yet, verse 10 says, “Be Still and know that I am God.”
You Only Need to Be Still
These words “Be Still” are also found in the story of the Exodus. When pursued by the pharaoh, Moses told the people: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you only need to Be Still.” (Exodus 14:14) When we read this, we don’t feel much tension because we know the rest of the story. The Israelites, on the other hand, had no idea of what would happen next!
Jacob’s descendants had been in Egypt for 400 years. Their lives changed as the political powers changed. Previously rescued from famine as honored relatives of Joseph, they were now suffering as despised slaves. God had foretold this to Abraham ( Genesis 15:13-16); thus from His perspective, nothing is missing or out of order. But the Israelites didn’t experience it that way.
At first, God’s message of freedom through Moses brings joy and worship (Exodus 4: 31). But as the plan fails to meet their expectations, we see them accusing and blaming Moses for the worsened conditions arising from Pharaoh’s hard heart (Exodus 5:20-21). Even Moses cries out to God with the complaint that He is not keeping His word.
What happens next is the unfolding of dramatic and unbelievable events as we see God fighting for His people and demonstrating His authority over all of heaven and earth. At the Red Sea Moses asks them to Be Still as God will fight for them.
Honest Conversations with God
Can you relate to the Israelites in this story? Have you found yourself facing increasing trouble and challenges even though you have been faithful to God? Have you ever felt so disappointed that you start to question if you heard God right or if He even cares about you anymore? I have.
The past few years have been very difficult for me. I faced health challenges, difficult situations, and three major transitions. What was once familiar seemed to vanish. I encountered one battle after another, some deeply heartbreaking. At times, I felt hopeless, confused, angry, and unprotected; at other times the amount of grief and loss seemed unbearable.
As I look at Moses’ life, I see that God’s words spoken in God’s presence are what mattered when the challenges came. They became his source of strength, providing confidence, motivation, and faithful perseverance. In his honest conversations with God, Moses did not bury his doubts or try to sort them out by himself. Instead, he took them to the Lord: When feeling inadequate and unsure of his identity: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” When feeling insecure and lacking in knowledge: “Now they may say to me “What is His name?” What shall I say to them?” When feeling fear of failure: “What if they will not believe me, or listen to what I say? For they may say ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’.” And so on.
I love Moses’ encounters with God. It is marvelous to watch his relationship with God move toward intimacy as he journeys from Egypt to the border of the Promised Land. Moses wrestled with God in each fear, question, and request. His rest did not come through personal affirmation or a sense of success. His rest came from God revealing Himself through words and deeds as the God of the Covenant, the Faithful One!
How Well Do You Know Him?
Rest is not so much about the absence of trouble or adversaries, but about who God is to us. Our trust in God is dependent on how well we know our God. If we do not know Him intimately and deeply, we cannot trust Him, and thus we cannot rest.
What keeps you awake and doesn’t let you rest? What do you do with it? Is that thing your dwelling place or the threshold to intimacy with God? The first option keeps us restless, but the latter brings peace beyond understanding and leads us to victory.
I have been on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ since 1996. Currently, my family and I live in Tirana, capital of Albania, where my husband and I serve to lead the Global Church Movement area team for Eastern Europe and Russia.
We have 3 beautiful children, and a playful English Setter dog, who keep me active and growing! I run a blog in Albanian http://shigjete.com/nobodys-child/ with the hope of reaching non believers by inviting them to taste how good God is, and exhorting believers to live in a deep, sincere commitment to Jesus.
