As I sit here this afternoon and reflect of my day thus far, no doubt it has been full of struggle and attacks from the enemy. I praise my God and Father who is faithful to deliver me from my enemies! He is my Father who fights for me! Who can withstand His mighty arm?
It is so easy during the hard days to long for just a moment of solitude. We are a people who have created a demanding, hectic and fast-paced lifestyle yet long for rest. We spend thousands on vacations seeking to satisfy this longing. While vacations are good and it is absolutely a biblical command to rest, I think we often miss the worship in this longing. We look for the vacations to satisfy something that only heaven will. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says "... Also, He has set eternity in the hearts of men..." That feeling you get when you stand at the top of a mountain and look out to behold the beauty of creation, for a moment it takes your breath away and you are simply captivated by what your eyes can see, and for that moment you catch a small glimpse of His majesty. We are created to recognize and crave things that are shadows of heaven. We long to be 'home', but for the believer, this is not our home. Only a shadow. That is eternity set in your heart. We need to understand that this craving for peace, rest, complete joy and unrestricted fellowship with the Father will not be satisfied while we are in these flesh suits. To think otherwise will leave you chasing your tail. The truth is, this is not heaven. We are living in the struggle. That's why Paul tells us to "press on" to "run this race with endurance". This truth highlights the importance of God's command for us to rest (something that I often walk in disobedience to). As believers, this struggle will not end until He calls us home. We must rest first, work from that rest, and press on in endurance with the longing set in our hearts to finally be home with our Father.
We must not chase after new houses, bigger houses, new cars, different jobs, vacations, better neighborhoods, or for some no neighborhoods (ha!), relationships or anything else to satisfy what only eternity in the presence of our Father can. You will find you will just move from one struggle to the next, frustrated and unsatisfied. Delight yourself in the Lord and rest in the finished work of Christ that there will come a day when our struggle will end. But until then, beloved, press on with tenacity that your labor for the Kingdom is not in vain!
Blessings!
