Resting In God

Resting in God.  That is what Righteousness by Faith is all about.  Living the right (righteous) way because we are trusting in God to plan for us.

Many of us think we already do trust in God and that we will do whatever His plan for us involves.  But what we really mean is that we will do whatever God makes so plain that we cannot possibly be mistaken. And of course He must tell us the whole plan, provide a complete and detailed course of action, and of course should go along with what makes perfect sense to me.  But that would not build faith, so God does not work that way. 

The first thing every day I must give myself to God completely.  Self must be dead!  We are told plainly we must "die daily" {1Corinthians 15:31).  We have to "take up our cross" (Luke 9:23) anew every day.  Then, when things don't go the way we want (because they won't), we are to just trust that God is in control.  Refuse to fret and worry.  When Jesus was faced with things happening differently, such as being faced with a crowd when He wanted to rest, He had faith that our Heavenly Father had a different plan and trusted Him for whatever strength necessary to deal with what was there.  "So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself. He accepted God's plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans. So should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will."  {DA 208}  (underlining supplied)

Notice it is to be the outworking of HIS will.  We are so filled with the idea of personal liberty and freedom that we really don't know how to NOT choose our own way.  Self and self-centeredness is so ingrained in us that we need to plead with God every day to help us overcome this horrible vice of self worship.  When God sees that we are truly sincere in this desire to truly have Him in control, He will put us through some experiences that are very painful - like a crucifixion.  Self must die if we are to be eternally saved. 

And the only way to survive this crucible is to rest in God.  As long as we are struggling with the temptation, as long as we want something different, there will be pain and suffering.  But once we surrender there will come peace.  We will be given strength to bear whatever comes along.  This is why Jesus spent so much time in prayer.  He was tempted as a human, and He had to maintain His humanity and resist as a human.  He must not revert to His natural Divine nature in order to rebuff the devil. 

"It was a difficult task for the Prince of Life to carry out the plan which he had undertaken for the salvation of man, in clothing his divinity with humanity. He had received honor in the heavenly courts, and was familiar with absolute power. It was as difficult for him to keep the level of humanity as it is for men to rise above the low level of their depraved natures, and be partakers of the divine nature."  {RH, April 1, 1875} 

We especially see this in the garden of Gethsemane.  Behold Jesus struggling with the temptation to leave ungrateful, wicked humanity to its chosen doom.  The sin is not in the temptation, or the struggle.  The sin is in the refusal to submit to God.  And here Jesus was victorious!  See the peace and strength that was His when He submitted to death for us:  "The humanity of the Son of God trembled in that trying hour. He prayed not now for His disciples that their faith might not fail, but for His own tempted, agonized soul. The awful moment had come--that moment which was to decide the destiny of the world. The fate of humanity trembled in the balance....   His decision is made. He will save man at any cost to Himself. He accepts His baptism of blood, that through Him perishing millions may gain everlasting life....   Christ's agony did not cease, but His depression and discouragement left Him. The storm had in nowise abated, but He who was its object was strengthened to meet its fury. He came forth calm and serene...."  (DA 693-694)

It is our privilege to have the same rest in God that Jesus had.  This is the beginning of Righteousness By Faith.  "Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  (Matthew 11:28)