Rest is pretty subjective, isn’t it? When some of you read that word, you immediately pictured time off from work and a nice warm beach. Others of you pictured a quiet evening at home, with no errands to run or commitments to attend.

But how many of you envisioned a worship service? I would guess not many. Worship conjures up so many sights and sounds in our mind, but hearing the alarm go off in the morning or trying to make sure all the kids eat breakfast before loading into the van shatters any sense of rest. But what if that’s exactly what worship is supposed to be: Rest.

For the next four weeks, Pastor Rich and I are going to be writing about rest. To kick it off, I want to consider the most essential act of rest – worship. If you skim through the Book of Psalms, you’ll find that rest is a frequent theme. However, the Psalms don’t write about vacation or video games as the source of that rest. The Psalmists praise God as our rest.

Psalm 23:1-3 (ESV)

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

 

Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV)

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

 

Psalm 116:7 (ESV)

“Return, O my soul, to your rest; For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.”

I once heard Tim Keller say that to be loved and not known is superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be known and loved is our greatest longing. This is what makes worship so restful. God knows us more fully than we know ourselves and he loves us more than we can imagine. We don’t have to work to impress or keep our guard up when we come before him. We can relax, knowing that we’re his child. Our heavenly Father puts our drawings on the fridge, even when we color outside the lines. Worshipping in the presence of our God is supposed to be the place we can most be ourselves. Can you feel the relief?

When we gather for worship every Sunday, I hope you hear the invitation in this. Come and rest in Jesus. You don’t need to check off a few more boxes first. You don’t need to fake it until you make it. You can come and be fully known and fully loved by the God who made you. This is what the Psalmists celebrate – rest for our weary souls.