Date: 14-June-2024
Name: Barry
Topic: REST IN GOD'S PRESENCE
Content:
This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 23:1-2
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
Psalm 116:7
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
Thank you Ps Lakers for inviting me to deliver the message today and bless all the men of MAGH who are listening in. May the Holy Spirit guide us in wisdom and grant us understanding and revelations IJN.
I had taken the day off from work on Wednesday at short notice in order to rest. The last few weeks had been crushing and my focus had started to waiver.
At the beginning of the MAGH zoom meeting I saw Ps Lakers request for me to speak on Friday.
I asked God straight away, “ what message should I deliver?” And it came to me immediately,
“ Rest in My Presence”.
The timing could not be more perfect.
Dear brothers, we all know that the demands of our lives can be fraught with responsibilities. To be caught up in the affairs of the world can often distract us from our true source of power, refuge and peace, our Sovereign Lord.
.
How important is rest for a Christian, the word “rest” is mentioned 257 times in the bible.
The following scriptures describes our Lord's request to rest as even He did.
We must trust in God’s word.
Genesis 2:2-3
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Exodus 23:12
Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
Isaiah 58:13-14
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the LORD honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Mark 2:23-28
Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”
And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
Why does God command rest?
From a pure physical perspective, it allows us to recuperate and recover our vitality. More importantly from a spiritual perspective we allow the space to worship our Lord, submerge in His word and be covered by His presence.
This is where we are truly rested, assured of His divine and sovereign reign in our lives. At peace that our Holy Father is in control when we submit to Him with all that we are.
Resting in Gods presence is a sign of faith that He will provide in all things. He has blessed us with this command and we should rejoice in this gift.
Psalm 91:1-2
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
How difficult though is it for us, men to actually rest. Usually if I have a day off it is followed by a list to “things to do”, most of the time not by my making. Then we become busy in another environment, again exhausted by the end of the day.
Testimony if a day of rest in God's presence
Matthew 11:28
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Following the zoom meeting and prayers for the Vietnam mission trip, I prayed to God to lead me throughout the day as He willed.
I surrounded the airways with sermons from several Pastors and also started on my message. I was inspired to also visit my parents who are both in their mid eighties.
All the way there I spoke in tongues and was filled with the joy of the Lord. I felt this was a special time together with my Holy Father as you would with a best friend.
When I arrived, they said I had answered their prayers as they required transport in severe weather conditions. This I happily obliged and as most parents on this platform can relate, mine were overjoyed to see their son especially in the middle of a working week.
My wife then contacted me and asked if we could lunch together. It was my turn to be overjoyed, especially knowing that she wanted to pay for the meal.
We spent the time talking about Gods eternal faith and grace in our lives. The world was forgotten as we shared the Word and gave thanks for His blessings.
I was then contacted by one of our connect group asking for prayer and advice. His family was struggling with financial and marital issues.
My heart broke as I prayed over him and his family. I felt a compassion so deep that I poured out my love in earnest prayer. This was truly a blessing from God that I could be so focused and full of intent. The Holy Spirit guided each word and I felt on fire.
It just happened to be our connect night and by the time it started, I was so refreshed in the Spirit and totally sold out to Jesus. The night was one of the most blessed and the Holy Spirit filled the house. Praise God.
On return to work the next day, I was calm and relaxed, knowing God is in control. As I opened my emails, there was a message from a senior member of staff based at FSH.
She has visited my workplace not knowing I had taken the day off and became aware of the enormous pressure I had been subjected to in an under-resourced environment.
A discussion amongst senior personnel at FSH ensued that day and a decision was made to take over governance of one of the areas I am in charge of.
This was the most wonderful news, as I had been praying for destiny helpers at work only the day before. I was not involved in the conversation and the message was delivered as a gift of help and support.
A whole space has immediately opened for me to pursue more senior duties as a great burden has been lifted.
This, after one day of rest in the presence of God!
Just me and my Holy Father.
God is true to His word. Alleluia!
Prayer Points:
Prayer Point
Father God, we strive to abide by your word to seek rest in Your presence. This is a place of faith that you have our best interests at all times when we seek You.
Thank you for blessing us with the gift of rest so that we desire to be with you and give you praise.
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