For the Ones Who Cannot Rest
Read: Romans 4: 13-25
13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
I am sitting at the beach trying to relax. How is it possible that I can feel so much guilt while on vacation? All I have to do right now is enjoy God’s grace upon me—a beach house by the shore, my children in the surf, my husband’s hands in mine. Instead, I feel panicked. Who am I disappointing while I sit here? What have I neglected?
Most importantly, will God be ok with me if I sit here doing nothing but stare at the ocean? Aren’t I supposed to be working hard to prove my faith? Is taking time off a sin when the world is in such disrepair? An answer comes to me. Maybe while I’m sitting here, I’ll just use this time wisely, put my Bible on my lap, study fifteen psalms, and memorize a chapter of John. That will keep me in His favor. Even with God’s word in front of me, I cannot seem to let myself be at peace.
Today’s passage is for those of us who cannot rest.
It’s a twisty bit of a passage, but at the heart of it is Paul’s assertion that Abraham, the father of the Jewish race and faith, was not reconciled to God by any works that he did. Abraham, a very old man, was promised millions of descendants—a seemingly impossible promise for a man with no children. His body, scripture says, was “as good as dead.” His wife’s body was far past any childbearing capability. There was nothing Abraham and Sarah could do to work themselves back to fertility. God would have to do it all. This promise came before Abraham had done a single thing to prove himself worthy. God just loved him. God just wanted him and picked him out. And Abraham trusted that this seemingly impossible promise (as well as this impossible, glorious relationship with the God of creation) could be true. I imagine that maybe, after talking with the One who promised to handle it all, Abraham sat down on the ground, closed his eyes, and let his tired body sink into the best rest he’d ever felt.
Do you believe the promise God made to you, that when you put your faith in Him, He counted you righteous then and there? Do you believe that there is nothing you have to do to keep His love upon you?
That Bible study. That committee. That shut-in, unbelieving neighbor you regularly visit. That special prayer said each night. Perfect attendance at Family Tables and prayer services, years in Children’s Ministry, mission trips, 6am devotionals, donations to the homeless, seminary degrees, Right-to Life marches, and babies raised to be missionaries—none of it covers the dark disaster that is the heart. In the end, while our work for God may be a beautiful thing, it is just our faith that makes us His. As Paul says, if doing a thousand good works a day (following the law) is what makes us heirs of God’s kingdom, then would our faith even matter? But God says to us “it depends on faith!”
This makes some of us nervous. How do I know my faith is true enough? There are times for that question, but right now—my busy, anxious, guilt-ridden friend—right now, take a deep breath and remember that faith truly is all He requires. He adores you and accepts you even if you stop everything. He knows we are but dust. Just as Abraham “did not waver in faith” when he saw his own weak body but trusted that God would do the work, you can “grow strong in your faith” and trust that Christ has done the work to make you complete and holy. We have a God who gives “life to the dead” and calls “things that are not as though they were!” What have you to add? It is finished!
All this means yes, we can take times of rest. We can sit in a rocking chair on a porch at the beach and let the to-do list fall to the floor. It is safe to do so, and God’s pleasure still rests upon us. In the words of Stuart Townsend: “What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease.” Thanks be to God!
