Day 31
Ruth 3:18
She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn
how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter
today.”
Rest in the wait.
Nine months. It is the time a mother must wait to
hold her new baby in her arms. Four years (at least). The time a college
student waits to graduate. Three hundred years. The time the Hebrews waited
before being freed from the Egyptian rule. Four hundred years. The time they
waited until the coming of the Messiah. Two thousand years. The time we have
waited for the second coming of Christ…and we are still waiting.
Waiting is not easy. How many times have we waited
desperately for something without knowing if or when it would come? When will
the man that God has prepared for me come? When will I have my first child? Will
I be accepted into that university? Will I get that dream job? Will I be healed
of this disease? Will my children have food on their table tomorrow?
Some waits are more superficial than others. Some
are life-or-death. Some are extremely long, others are shorter. But all produce
feelings of anxiety and fear in all of us. Noemi told Ruth to wait. The issue
was now in the man’s hands. She had already relinquished control. I can almost
hear Ruth’s thoughts. “How embarrassing!” “After I was vulnerable, what if he
is not the one to redeem me?” “I knocked on the wrong door.” “What if the other
guy accepts?”. “I don’t even know him.” “What if he says no?” “Is it because
and am a poor foreigner?” “What if they can’t talk today?” “I’ll have to wait
one more day.” She is anxious. She didn’t expect this variable when she
came to Boaz. It doesn’t matter. Whatever happens, the future is uncertain.
“Wait, my daughter”, was the wise counsel of her
mother-in-law. Wait. Rest. It is not a good thing to just be distracted by
other things while we wait. At the end, the distractions go away, and we
continue to wait. We sleep and wake up, and we continue to wait. But she was
not talking about a physical rest. The highest and purest form of rest is not
sleeping. To rest in the Lord is to bring him the burden, the fear, the pain,
the anxiety; it is to leave everything at the foot of the cross, because God will
not rest but will settle the matter today.
My sister, #getittogethergirl. Rest. You
have already worked too much. You have done your part. Get out of the way and
let God work. He want
s to settle the matter and will not rest until He has. To
rest is not to ignore. It is not making something less important. It is not
giving up, it is to surrender. It is time to rest now.
Lord, you know very well I have done everything in
my power. You know my most intimate thoughts and desires and my greatest
trials. But I can’t do anything else. I did what you asked me to, and now, I
give you my situation so you can settle it. I want nothing that you don’t want.
So, I yield to your will in action and time. I give you everything, every
detail. My life and my heart are yours. Do whatever pleases you. In the name of
your precious Son, Jesus, amen.
My reflection:
And he said to
them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”
Mark 6:31
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PART III
SUMMARY
Congratulations! You are halfway there. You drew the skeleton when you decided to #getittogether. You put muscle into it by doing everything in your power to get it done. You have worked hard and done God’s will for your life in your own circumstances. It is now time to rest. Now, put a little bit of flesh, a layer of fat, and skin. And rest. There is nothing left for you to do except rest, trust, and believe. Your Father has promised that He will not forsake you. Rest is just as important for the body as exercise. And so it is the same for your soul and your spirit. Stay in communion with God, but let him work. Because he will not rest until this matter is resolved. What does rest look like to you? Go ahead. Start drawing (or writing). Let's meet again Monday.
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