–Exodus 33:14

The word “rest” can be seen in different contexts in the book of Genesis alone. It was found when God rested on the seventh day: “then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:3, TNIV). It was used in the context of dying: “but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried” (Genesis 47:30a, TNIV). The lack of rest was even mentioned when Adam and Eve where thrown out of Eden: “when you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on this earth” (Genesis 4:12, TNIV).

These are very stressful times that we live in. Everything goes by so fast and you find that days, months, and years just breezed by. Stress is found everywhere; at home, in the workplace, in school, and even in relationships. It has been an ever constant part of our lives.

A research done by a group from Sydney says that a hormone called neuropeptide Y is released into the body when we are stressed. This hormone has been shown to decrease the effectivity of our immune systems, rendering us more susceptible to disease. Other effects of stress include forgetfulness, skin breakouts, and sleeplessness to name a few.

The result of stress in our bodies has been getting a lot of coverage lately. People are coming up with new ways on how to beat stress. Doctors are coming up with therapies to fight it, spas are coming up with anti-stress massages, and companies are even marketing herbal stress remedies. And people are spending a lot of money for these. The way I see it is that we are people desperately searching for rest.

It seems like we are willing to try anything we can get our hands on to beat stress. But the one thing that we fail to look to during stressful times is God’s Word. We are so busy worrying about everything; do we even have time for prayer and reflection? We can’t accept the fact that this problem, for which people come up with very intricate methods to solve, can be answered by something so simple. The Lord never tried selling us expensive products and therapy sessions. All He wants us to do is to have faith that He will handle everything. We need to stop fretting about every single aspect of our lives and the only way we can do this is if we leave everything up to Him. Without Him we remain like Adam and Eve, restless.

God made the promise of rest when the Israelites were wandering in the desert for forty years, “the Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’” (Exodus 33:14, TNIV). This is the same promise He gave us. A good practice whenever we feel stress is to stop for a break and study God’s Word. It is full of reassurances that will be of great help to us. We do not need to trust in the innovations of science. If we go into His Presence and if we remain in it, we will get the rest that we so desperately long for.  This is the best time to decide who you are going to trust. God’s Word is more than rock solid. He is the Rock of our Salvation.  Entrust your life to the Lord and rest on His promises. This is God’s plan for you.