What does it mean to make every effort to enter the Sabbath rest promised in the Bible? Be careful to watch your step in these dark days – instead of conforming to the world, glorify God in all that you do.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a Bible verse I’m liking more as I get older.
And it’s Hebrews 4:9, where it says, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.” I didn’t think that much about that verse when I was younger, but I am older now – and my bones are weary and tired; and now, I so love the idea of rest.
Back on the farm, around this time of year, we would bring the horses in from their summertime pasture. Fall was on its way and the fields were bare; and usually, when we closed the summer gate and opened the barn gate, we’d saddle up and “ride the fences” to check for broken barbed wire. Couldn’t do that during the summer: the brush was thick, the hay was high. But in the fall, you could more easily spot a rusted wire or a broken fence post. Some of these fences went all the way back into the woods along the state park that bordered our farm, and it was hard getting up and down those narrow trails on steep hills. After hours of riding my horse, my weary pony would be wet with sweat, her head hanging low, and I had to urge her to put one tired foot in front of the other.
But then, as soon as my horse caught a whiff of home or recognized her own pasture, her ears would perk up, her pace would quicken – the nearer the barn got, the more eager was her trot. After a quick unsaddling, she’d roll in the dirt and take long, slow drinks from the trough. How good it feels for a beast to be home, and I would take great pleasure just leaning on the gate, watching her roll in the dirt. My horse loved being home.
And how good it will feel for us to be home! Don’t get me wrong; I love my work; I love what I do, and I do it with all my heart. I don’t hold anything back, but take great joy in giving myself fully to every task, but I am older now. And even after a long, busy trip, well, if I were a horse, I would roll in the dirt! It just feels better being at home now. It means more. Rest means more. And one day, one glorious day when heaven breaks on the horizon, there will be no more toiling, no more prying the world’s suction cups off my heart. When Hebrews 4:9 describes that Sabbath rest for the people of God, well, it’s like a long drink of cool water on a hot day. And maybe the writers of the Bible – some whose joints were stiff from prison chains that chafed – maybe those saints of old had this sweet rest in mind, a rest that perked them up and quickened their pace. Toward the end of their lives, they wrote vigorous encouragements like that other one in Hebrews 4:11 where they say, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest.”
I think about that, too, as I get older. What does it mean to make every effort to enter that Sabbath rest? Well, it means watching your step, using your head, making the most of every opportunity God gives, for these are dark times and the days are evil. Now as never before, we need to lay up treasures in heaven as if God was watching – and he is. To make every effort to enter that rest means making it your ambition today to be pleasing to him. After all, I know that I don’t have a lot of days left on earth – and I’ve used up most of them, so I want to make the best of these remaining years. Because the lush green pastures of rest are just over the horizon. And today, if your day has seemed exhausting, remember this as you collapse in bed tonight. Make every effort, friend, to enter that heavenly rest in such a way that glorifies God and benefits you for all of eternity.
© Joni and Friends