We find rest for our souls as we learn to trust our affairs with God. I know Christians who worry about the end times, persecution, and their rights. This is the flesh speaking. No, we must learn to trust it all in God’s capable hands. When we do that, even if we do find ourselves in persecution, ridicule, or even death threats for being a Christian, we can rest in Him for He knows the beginning from the end and holds us in His hands.

16 Thus says Yahweh,

“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,

Where the good way is, and walk in it;

And you will find rest for your souls.

But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 (LSB) 

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (LSB) 

Much of John Bunyan’s tale within his masterpiece The Pilgrim’s Progress deals with the consequences of Christian and his companions leaving the narrow path for an apparently easier way. Even though we are new creations, the foolishness of our flesh bound years is still within us. Our circumstances seem to be tools of our enemy meant to move our direction and focus away from Christ and the narrow way onto the temporal and more ‘practical way.’ However, we are commanded by the writer of Hebrews to do otherwise.

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (LSB) 

Notice that the way to run this race, thereby freeing ourselves from every weight and sin which clings to closely to us, is to run with endurance through our circumstances and challenges with our eyes firmly fixed on Christ, the founder and perfecter of our faith. This is the good old way, the ancient path, where the good way is that if we walk in it we will find rest for our souls. This path walking is the same thing as running the race set before us by God the Father. How do we determine when we are in “the way?’

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (LSB) 

Rest was the promise of the Saviour when He said, “I will give you rest.” This rest was promised to those who took up His yoke upon them. This is a description of becoming His disciple not simply religious. Rest is the point in which the law failed. Moses could not lead the people into Canaan, neither can the works of the law conduct us into the rest of God. Doing good works with the mind set that that is the vehicle of rest is a dead end path. However, this rest described by our Lord has been and is and will be enjoyed by believers. It isn’t just a short rest, but is a rest that is promised to be ongoing. What many forget or ignore is that this rest is never found apart from the gospel, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. This is why all attempts to modernize, water down, and edit the gospel will lead souls away from this rest, not into it. This rest comes not from wealth, health, honor, or any other thing found in the world system. This should make us ponder the huge spiritual error of the Health, Wealth, and Prosperity “gospel,” which is not the gospel of the Bible.

The narrow way, the good way in which we find rest as we walk in it is restful to our souls as we walk by faith in the gospel way. Rest for our souls comes no other way. Why is this true?

Read More