P.O. Box 53055    
Los Angeles, CA 90053   

Finding Soul Rest

CONNIE: Do you feel like a lifetime member of the human race? Would you like to feel a little more human and a lot less hurried? Stay tuned as we consider Jesus' prescription for getting off the treadmill of life.
Giving God's trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I'm Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I'm Lonnie Melashenko. Connie, I certainly can relate to that question you asked--and the answer is yes--there are times when I feel like I'm a charter member in that club that's dedicated to running the human race. But, you know I've learned a few things through the years--about setting time aside to slow down and begin to bring life into focus.

CONNIE: Well please share how you do that, Lonnie, because I tell you, I'm feeling so hectic and stressed theses days, just share some of your secrets with me.
LONNIE: Sometimes I've got to agree. It gets going so fast that sometimes I feel like that old Burma shave commercial that used to be on the highways, maybe you don't remember. One said, angels that guard you when you drive usually retire at sixty-five, and, boy, sometimes life does get so intense that you feel like your breaking the speed limit and somebody ought to write you up a ticket.

CONNIE: A couple months ago, here at the Adventist Media Center, we had a very dynamic preacher come and speak to us at our annual Week of Prayer. And I really appreciated his messages that focused on this very issue of finding time to slow down and have time for God in our lives.

LONNIE: That's right, Connie. It was Pastor Karl Haffner, the senior pastor at the Walla Walla College Seventh-day Adventist Church, who came to speak to us, and while he was here, I pulled him aside into the studio to talk about the principles he shared with us.

CONNIE: Well, let's listen to that interview.

LONNIE: Karl, you are one of those busy, high-pitched, running at full tilt people, I mean, you're a college pastor and you have speaking appointments all over the globe, you've got committees to sit on, you're a parent of a young little lady in your home. How do you take that principle? How do you apply the test? Make the rubber hit the road when Jesus admonishes us to come in and rest, slow down.

KARL: It's not always easy is it? I do get wake up calls now and again. I have two daughters, and my wife is working on her masters degree and so Wednesday evenings is the time that she goes and sits in some classroom and listens to an esteemed professor with lots of initials after his name, while I get to take care of my girls. The other night I had a full line up set up. My daughter is four years old. And we first of all were going to play go fish, and then we were going to the Park to play on the new playground equipment, and from there we were going to go to Pepe's Pizza, and then on to the college pool to go swimming. I had this all literally written out in my day-timer, and we were going to have fun. So we started into this game of go fish, and Lindsey, my daughter, got side tracked and started do this impromptu ballerina dance, and we were on a time schedule. So I said, "Honey, it's your turn, go". And she just kept dancing, and I could just feel my blood pressure getting up into the red zone, and the rpm's there. I said, "Lindsey, you asked me for a yak, and I don't have a yak, now go fish, go, now, hurry". It was at that point that Lindsey asked me a question that still haunts me. When I said, "Go, hurry", she said, "Why"? "Why, dad"? I started to answer, well because we need to get over to the park, and then we need to get to Pepe's Pizza, but I stopped myself and thought, she's right. My little professor here teaching me, and I wondered what really is so holy about hurry in this frantic, fast-paced life that so many people live. What is the point of this? What does it matter if we don't get over to Pepe's Pizza? It was as if Lindsey were saying daddy maybe you ought to dawn a tutu and try a little impromptu ballerina dance yourself…

LONNIE: So God gives us these little serendipitous perception checks, rearview mirrors, so they can interrupt our lives.

KARL: I think He does, because you look all around the world and you just see people pressed into this way of life that just flat doesn't make sense.

LONNIE: Talk to the thirty-year-olds, forty-year-olds, fifty-year-olds, high pressured people out there today right now listening saying, I'm stuck, I'm in a rut, I can't get out of this track. What are some quick little easy things to just step out of the box and catch a breath.

KARL: I can tell you some of the things that perhaps have been helpful for me. One of the things is, I have written out basic core values for my life that I keep right in front of me at the office. I put them at home. I read through them everyday just as a reminder that this what I really want my life to be about.
LONNIE: Name a couple.

KARL: Professional excellence. So the fact that I'm here with you is part of what I love to do. I love to teach, and this morning we had a teaching session and I love doing this sort of thing. Its part of a core value that I want to do my job as good as I possibly can. Authentic relationships with God, to be real with God, and of course with my family. That's a very high core value and priority. Absolute integrity, in just little things, whether it's on the golf course, or at a 7-11 store where the cashier short-changed herself fifty cents. That's a core value, and I think by keeping in front of us clearly these core values, it helps us to sort of navigate through all of these pressing demands. I think it empowers us to say no! To good things, stuff we'd love to do, but to say you know, I just can't do that.

LONNIE: In other words, kind of keep coming to these islands of core values, which are little vacations. By plugging in on those you actually bring peace of mind, and relieve the stress from all the other stuff that demands time.

KARL: I like the metaphor of the island to live, you know Christ said, "All who are weary and heavy-laden", well we live in a world of people like that. He promises rest and it really is possible to enter into that island of rest. But we have to be real clear on what matters, and then be comfortable in what we can do on those islands, and just live in peace.

LONNIE: Karl thanks for being with us here at the Voice of Prophecy.

KARL: Thank you.

CONNIE: Karl really has a creative way of seeing the lessons in the little incidents of life, doesn't he.

LONNIE: He sure does, and I appreciate his emphasis on bringing life into focus--setting our priorities, and sticking with them, and learning to trust God with the rest.

CONNIE: That's a thought that's emphasized in our first song today, "I'll Walk With God," sung by the men's group Vocal Majority.

LONNIE: Mmmm…beautiful--I really love the music of that group, The Vocal Majority.

CONNIE: If you enjoyed that music as well, you may be wondering how you can get a copy of the CD for yourself, and that's why we keep a section on our web page where we list the music heard on the broadcast, complete with information about how to contact the musicians or purchase their music.

LONNIE: You can stop by our web page anytime, from anywhere in the world and click on the little musical notes on the opening page. That'll take you to the current list. The address is simple to remember. It's VOP.COM.

CONNIE: When you stop by our web page for a visit, we hope you'll take the time to browse around. You'll find transcripts of all our radio programs, schedules telling where and when we can be heard, and also a schedule of our television broadcasts.

LONNIE: And you can even listen to past broadcasts via streaming audio. We've worked hard to make the web page a powerful, worldwide extension of our ministry, and we've been pleased to see that hundreds of people every day do take advantage of the resources there.

CONNIE: But Lonnie, maybe some of our listeners are just too busy .
. .
LONNIE: Well, it is easy for life to get to being just too full for the things we'd really like to do. But there are ways to bring it back under control. To slow down, take a pause for refreshment.

CONNIE: A pause for peace?

LONNIE: That's a good way to put it. And it just so happens that we have a book by that title that we'd like to offer to our readers.

CONNIE: The book is called A Pause for Peace. It was written by Clifford Goldstein, who has been a guest on our program. In it he shares the secret of finding time to bring life back into focus, to reset priorities, and turn your focus back to God.

LONNIE: You can request a free copy of the book A Pause for Peace by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-872-0055, and asking for it.

CONNIE: The number again is 1-800-872-0055, and in a few moments, after Lonnie's message, we'll share our mailing address in case you'd like to write to us. But right now, let's listen as Lonnie shares today's message, "Finding Soul Rest."

Finding Soul Rest

Could you use a little more rest? When the alarm clock goes off on Monday morning, are you tempted to whack it with a sledge hammer?
Let me put it another way--if Jesus Christ were to walk up to you right now and say: " 'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' "? (Matthew 11:28 NKJV), would you jump at the chance?

Every year the National Sleep Foundation surveys Americans' sleep habits. Last year's survey revealed that more than 2/3 of us have trouble getting enough sleep.

Another recent study revealed that as the baby boom generation ages, sleep problems are likely to increase. In fact, this study revealed that men over 45 have a very hard time sleeping long and deep enough to rejuvenate their bodies--no matter how long they spend in bed.
So, Jesus' promise to deliver that wonderful experience--rest--begins to sound better and better all the time, doesn't it?
But how does it work?

If you become a Christian and give your life to the Lord, does that mean that automatically you'll start getting more rest?

I was fascinated and amused by our interview guest today--Pastor Karl Haffner. He's a Christian, a pastor, a preacher, a leader, a man of prayer--a very spiritual follower of Jesus. So, he ought to be one of the best-rested, laid-back people on earth, wouldn't you think? But he confesses--it was his 4-year-old daughter who taught him that he needed to learn how to slow down and relax. He'd scheduled his play time with her right down to the minute--so much so that he didn't have time to really enjoy it.
I know I've experienced the same thing myself--being so busy doing "the Lord's work" that I couldn't slow down and really spend time with the Lord of the work.

So, what did Jesus mean when He said He'd give rest to those who came to Him? How can it work in your life and mine?

Let's begin our search for answers by reading the verse in its slightly larger context, Matthew 11:28-30, and then let's look for clues in the surrounding verses, and in the rest of the Bible. Here's Jesus' promise:

" 'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light' " (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV).

There's one important clue to what Jesus is talking about, right in the middle verse of this passage. He defines the kind of rest He will give us: " 'you will find rest for your souls,' " He says.

What in the world does that mean? What, exactly is soul-rest?

There was an interesting article in one of our local newspapers here in California a few days ago. The title: "Can a mother find peace?" In it, author Ellen Blum Barish of the Health and Fitness News Service ponders the life of a modern mother with small children, asking whether there is ever any time when she can escape--tune out the world and get some time to rest and rejuvenate. She mentions women who have had an opportunity to take a sabbatical and do something all on their own, and have come back to the workaday world refreshed and rejuvenated. But then she faces the reality that most young mothers never get the chance to escape for any extended period. There's always some interruption--some need to fulfill for someone else.

That's interesting in the light of one of the stories Matthew tells just before Jesus' promise of rest.

A few days ago, some of our staff members were watching a video based on Matthew's Gospel. In chapter 8, verses 14-15, Matthew records that
"When Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them" (NKJV).

Now, that's a great miracle story--an instantaneous healing. But one of the women watching the video chuckled when she saw it. "Hmmm…" she said, with a smile. "He healed her so she'd get up and fix dinner for the men!"
I had never thought of it that way before, but when you see the story from that perspective, it's true. When Jesus came into this woman's life, it didn't bring rest at all--in fact she got busier after she encountered Jesus.

And she's not alone. Read the rest of Matthew 8. There's a story of a slave who's paralyzed. When Jesus speaks the word, he's suddenly healed and gets up and goes back to work. Another man comes to Jesus and says he wants to follow Him, and while he's filling out the "job application," Jesus lays out the conditions of employment in no uncertain terms: " ' Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head' " (verse 20 NRSV).

That doesn't sound restful at all, does it?
And there are other places in the Gospels where Jesus' life is described as being so busy that He and His disciples didn't even have time to eat. How can a Man like that promise rest?

Notice something else about His promise of rest: It's found right at the end of Matthew 11. It's immediately followed by the story of Jesus' conflict with the pharisees about HOW to find rest. Specifically, how to keep the Sabbath--the day of rest.

You probably remember the story: One Sabbath morning, the disciples picked a few heads of grain and popped them into their mouths.
That was a big-time no-no in the pharisees' book. It involved harvesting, threshing, and grinding grain--far too much work to be allowable on the day of rest. But Jesus brushed off the Pharisees' objections by telling them a story and reminding them that God is more interested in how merciful we are to those in need than in whether we chomp a few seeds on the way to church.
When Jesus and the disciples arrived at the synagogue, another Sabbath crisis presented itself, and the pharisees were right there, watching to see what Jesus would do.

Would He sit down in a catatonic state and let the words of Scripture read [red] from the front float past Him while He just rested? Or would He exercise mercy. Would He get actively involved in the needs of a man with a withered hand?

The pharisees didn't think anyone should do any work--good or bad--on the Sabbath day. They completely misunderstood the nature of God and His intentions for humanity. They saw the Sabbath as an arbitrary dictate of God. One day chosen out of seven on which no one should lift a finger to do anything to help anyone else. By their rules, you could do more for your ox on the Sabbath than you could for a human being.

Jesus, on the other hand, understood God and His intentions in a totally different light. He knew that the laws were given for man's good.
Rest is a good thing. That's why God gave us the Sabbath day.
All of us need to put away the busyness of life on a regular basis and spend time with God.

And as we take the time to get to know God, we discover that He is kind, loving, and good, and that He wants to do good for His children.
Jesus understood that. And He understood the intention of the Sabbath day--the rest day--in a completely different light than the pharisees. He looked at the man with the withered hand, then explained something very important to those who would criticize His actions. " 'It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath,' " He said. "Then He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other" (Matthew 12:12, 13, NKJV).
With that statement and that action, Jesus established a whole new principle for understanding God and His law. The commandments are given for our good--like a fence to protect us from falling off a cliff, not a wall to keep us from reaching out to others.

Jesus could reach out and do good for a man without losing the experience of Sabbath rest.

This story teaches something very important--both about Sabbath observance, and about the rest that Jesus wants to give us. For Jesus, rest means being in the center of God's will, the center of God's love, the center of God's goodness. That's where your soul can find rest. Can stop striving. Can find genuine peace, deep-down peace that passes understanding. The Sabbath was given to us as a day to rest, but that doesn't mean we should stop doing things that benefit others. It's a day of rest from our own selfish pursuits.
Jesus never promised that His followers would be able to spend all day in an easy chair. He promised a different kind of rest--the rest that comes from being at peace with God. True soul-rest.

Have you found rest for your soul? You can find it, in the center of God's will.