I had a sudden stroke of inspiration this afternoon while working at my laptop. As I was working, a little message popped up to advise me I was low on battery and needed to plug the computer into the power source.
So, I dutifully picked up the cable, plugged it into the wall and the computer and ta-dah! The screen lit up and the little message went away.
What does a laptop have to do with me?
I want you to imagine you are the laptop. You’ve been quietly working away and suddenly, a little message pops up and tells you you’re running out of power.
Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a cable that conveniently plugs into the nearest power source. To power up I must rest and regain my energy.
But is it really that simple? In short—No! The only way we can get true rest, or energy, is resting in God. God is our power cable.
Are you missing the message?
Some of us become so busy in life that we miss the little message that says we are running out of power. If I miss the message on my laptop eventually the power will run out and the machine will shut down.
If I miss the message as a person, it follows to reason that I must eventually run out of power and shut down.
What I need is to reach out to God, my power source, and begin charging up my battery.
Even those who truly believe they are following God’s plan for their life, and probably are, get a little message to tell them they are running out of power.
Bob Merritt, a pastor in the US, mentions in his book When Life’s Not Working, that he was following God’s path for his life, but he was doing too much of it. Bob talks about the steps for a more fulfilled life that you can achieve by following a set of universal disciplines that bring you closer to God.
He challenges us to unplug from the world and plug into God. Is this something you need to do too?
Learning to rest
God doesn’t want us to work all of the time. In fact, He even created a whole day for rest—the Sabbath. God recognises the importance of resting and rejuvenating.
Even God rested. When he created the Earth and all the things in it, he worked for six days and on the seventh he rested. If God rests after a period of substantial work, then so should you.
In such a fast-paced world, we need to re-learn how to rest. We need to re-learn how to spend time with our families instead of doing tomorrow’s work on the computer after dinner.
When was the last time you had a holiday? For most people, it was too long ago. But humans are not designed to work continuously, as if we’re robots. We need rest.
You might have noticed the one important aspect of rest I haven’t mentioned—the only true way we will receive rest from God—keep reading…
Plugging in to God
So, you’ve allowed yourself to admit that perhaps you need rest. You’ve tried the things I’ve suggested above, such as a holiday and reducing your work commitments but you still feel tired.
What you need now is God. You need to plug into God to start recharging your battery. And we do this through two things—prayer and Bible reading.
Prayer allows our minds to stop whirling and connect on a deeper level to the living God. It is relaxing and restful. God loves it when we connect and talk with Him. When you are truly in God’s place, you automatically connect into his soul-replenishing rest.
The second way, Bible reading, provides rest through God’s immovable word. The Bible tells us how much God loves us, cares for us and does for us. I don’t know about you, but I always find this relaxing and restful.
So, if you’ve got a little message popping up warning you about your batteries, slow down and talk to God. You need his power.
Emma is a full time admin worker with a passion for Christ and an interest in reading, writing and music.
Emma Seabrook’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/emma-seabrook.html