Holy Spirit
Rest From an Unexpected Source
Are you ready for vacation yet? Maybe you are like most people, you’re thinking, “I need some rest. Mentally and physically.” I
t’s the good ole summer-time. School is out, let’s get outta town. It’s the perfect time to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. Maybe you’ve planned for months to get away to relax!
I love vacations!
We’ve been talking about seeing Acadia National Park in Maine for years now. We had reservations in 2020, but you know what happened to those reservations! Yep. Covid.
I don’t know if your vacations are like mine, but often our vacations turn into marathons of endurance. My vacations turn into a list of must see and must do. Then, I come home to rest.
When I go on a vacation, I go to go, go go!
I wanna see things. No, I wanna see everything! I want to read every sign in the museums and stop at every historical marker on the backroads. I know, I know, you’re shaking your head at me and thinking, “Her, poor husband!” And you’re right!! Everybody’s not like me. (Thank goodness, huh!) But most people come back just as tired, maybe even more exhausted than when they left.
We often associate rest with a place.
Maybe you think a place to rest is a SPA day at a swanky resort or a hammock under a tree.
Wayne and I relax strolling along the water’s edge or hiking up a mountain trail with beautiful vistas along the way. I remember one year, Wayne (my amazing husband) had a really big project at work. He could hardly wait until it was complete so he could get some much-needed rest. His brain was tired. He was tired of dealing with problems. His dream was to lay down in a meadow and look out at the mountains. As soon as that project was behind him, we loaded up the kids and headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway. The kids and I gave him some quiet, alone time as soon as we got there. He found himself a cool meadow and just lay there soaking in the beauty and the quiet. He needed it.
God designed us for work and rest.
Rest and refreshing are both desperately needed in our go-faster, achievement driven lifestyles. I don’t believe it is healthy or productive for people to be exhausted and stressed out all the time.
Sometimes, we live exhausted because we need better habits.
- Eat less sugar.
- Exercise.
- Go to bed earlier.
- Worry less.
Discover simple things that help YOU relax.
We can find rest in simple things like sipping coffee with a dear friend. What helps you relax?
Here’s a POWERFUL way to relax that so many people overlook.
Scripture suggests we experience rest and refreshing in an unusual place.
Isaiah 28:12 “To whom He said, This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing;”
Sounds like just the place I’m looking for–an oasis in a storm of busyness.
Where do I find it? Let’s look at the context of the verse. It is a prophetic verse for a future time.
Isaiah 28: 11-12 (NKJV) “For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing;”
I did my research.
I found numerous explanations, many of which were opposing viewpoints, each defending theirs with good arguments.
I had to go with Paul’s Opinion.
Still, the opinion of Apostle Paul in 1Corinthians 14 was the most impacting.
He refers to Isaiah 28:11, 12 in 1 Corinthians 14:21 “In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.”
Paul is in the middle of a teaching on the operation of gifts and speaking in tongues in a church service when he refers to the Old Testament reference of “stammering lips and another tongue.” If this were not speaking in tongues then he would not have mentioned it at this juncture.
3 reasons I believe praying in tongues helps a believer enter God’s rest.
From my personal experience I have found.
Praying in the Spirit builds you up. Jude 1:20 “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,” This is more than a feeling. Something happens in our spirit, when we pray in tongues.
2. As I pray in the Spirit, God speaks to my Spirit with direction, insight and activates my faith, whichever might be needed at that particular moment in my walk with Him.
3. Praying in tongues is an emotional release. I can be totally stressed about something when I enter my prayer time, then after a session of praying in tongues I feel peaceful.
I’m convinced praying in tongues is a place to refresh yourself. Maybe you are familiar with what I’m talking about. Here’s a link to help you know more praying in tongues .