That aaah moment

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..." Isaiah 30.15

In the Bible the invitation to rest is more of a command. There is a reason why it is woven into the very fabric of creation. God worked for 6 days and then rested on the 7th. Then God wove that pattern into his Maker's Instructions as the 4th Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy." Setting aside one day in the week reminds us that the world does does rely on us to keep it turning - but on God, who created and sustains all things - and has a plan to redeem creation from all the damage we have caused.

This is good news and the prayer of rest ushers us into that Sabbath perspective on life. So, what is that prayer and how to practice it? First we require an appropriate situation where we can withdraw from our immediate surroundings and be present to God. We enter that place in reverent silence, without gushing our feelings or frustrations. And, as thoughts come into our mind we dispose of them respectfully but firmly, until we reach that place of holy awareness.

Restful prayer is not an excuse for indolence but a process of recuperation, in which our perspective is restored and we are reoriented, out of ourselves and towards God and others. It re-calibrates us for more faithful and effective living, as we allow God to hold us in the hollow of his hand, where there is no safer or more pleasant place to be...