September 3, 2025 • 27 mins
Finding Rest in God's Presence explores how to discover true spiritual peace in today's hectic world. This message delves into the biblical concept of rest that goes beyond physical relaxation—it's about finding spiritual renewal through trust in God.
Through the powerful stories of Elisha and Elijah, we learn two essential aspects of spiritual rest. Elisha's experience in 2 Kings 6 teaches us to see beyond our visible circumstances to recognize God's protection that already surrounds us. When Elisha and his servant were surrounded by enemy forces, Elisha prayed for his servant's eyes to be opened to see the spiritual reality—hills full of horses and chariots of fire protecting them.
Elijah's journey in 1 Kings 19 shows us how God meets us in our exhaustion and isolation. After his great victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah fled in fear and found himself alone in a cave. There, God spoke not through dramatic displays of power, but through a gentle whisper, demonstrating His intimate presence even in our darkest moments.
This message addresses common struggles like anxiety, burnout, spiritual fatigue, and the tendency to strive in our own strength rather than resting in God's provision. It offers practical guidance on how to:
- Recognize where you're striving instead of trusting
- See the spiritual protection God has placed around you
- Hear God's whispers in your daily life
- Command God's rest over specific areas of struggle
- Practice Sabbath rest as a lifestyle, not just a day
Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by circumstances, battling anxiety, or simply exhausted from trying to handle everything on your own, this message provides biblical wisdom for finding true rest in God's presence. Learn how to stop the cycle of striving and enter the empowered rest that comes from complete trust in God's faithfulness and provision.
Perfect for anyone seeking spiritual renewal, dealing with burnout, or wanting to deepen their trust in God during challenging times. This teaching combines biblical insights with practical application to help you experience the rest Jesus promised to all who come to Him.
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SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
Turn your eyes upon Jesus And I don't mean
(00:26):
figuratively, I actually meanreally, to turn the eyes of our
heart toward him.
So just take a moment, breathein deep, as we settle before the
Lord's word and we turn ourhearts toward Jesus.
we're few here but i just wantto recognize that on this labor
(00:51):
day weekend while the world istalking about resting from work
i believe that we're hereintentionally whether you're in
the seats or streaming in theholy spirit is inviting us to
receive a deeper rest as well inhim and not just from your labor
but from striving many of thesongs talked about from fear
(01:16):
from maybe Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
(01:40):
but from a heart that is laiddown its fight and has learned
to trust God again.
Amen.
Amen.
We get a chance to go into theword of the Lord and we'll pray
in a moment.
I have not introduced myself forthose that are visiting maybe
for the first time.
Welcome to the house of theLord.
I'm Pastor Erica Williams.
(02:01):
I am one of the co-pastors herealong with Pastor Andrea, who
you will see probably nextSunday, but is off for this
weekend.
Welcome to the house of theLord.
Let us pray.
Holy Spirit, in this moment, aswe do stand or sit before your
(02:22):
word, we do just that.
We ask you to help us to turnour eyes toward you.
This moment with you, hearingfrom you, is maybe for some
feels like something thatthey've checked the box off of,
something that maybe they didn'twant to do today.
But I just want to remind us,this is the most important
(02:45):
moment of the week to sit inyour presence and to hear from
you.
I pray that as we do that, youwould speak uniquely and
individually to each one of usand to transform us by your
word.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
(03:07):
We're going to do this a littledifferent today.
I do want to invite you into theword of God, where we'll
actually glance at two passages,both in the book of Kings, so
first and second Kings.
But let me give you some contextbefore we get to the verses I
want to read over you and intoyou today.
So there's only two scripturesthat I'll be reading.
(03:30):
So if you'll forgive me for notasking you to stand, just two
passages, but we'll get to thatin a minute.
In 2 Kings 6, the king, we'restarting with the king of Aram
and he's waging war againstIsrael.
But every time he tries toambush Israel, Israel's army
(03:52):
somehow knows exactly where notto be.
He gets so frustrated that heassumes someone is a spy within
his inner circle.
He thinks he has a But hisofficers say, no, king, it's
that prophet, Elisha.
He's the one.
(04:13):
And he somehow even knows whatyou're doing and what you speak
in your bedroom.
The king sends horses.
He sends chariots.
He sends this strong show offorce by night to surround the
city where Elisha is staying.
(04:33):
And my contemplative selfinvites you just for a moment to
picture that and let that sinkin.
A whole army that is sent afterone man of God.
Elisha at this moment wasn'trunning from the enemy.
He wasn't exposed.
(04:54):
He quite literally was asleep.
He was resting.
And then this is where we pickup in the word Elisha's servant
wakes up.
He sees that they're surroundedand is shaken with fear.
But Elisha, on the other hand,sees something entirely
different.
(05:16):
So we'll go into 2 Kings 6 and15 through 17.
15 begins when the servant ofthe man of God got up and went
out early the next morning.
An army with horses and chariotshad surrounded the city.
(05:39):
"'Oh no, my Lord, what shall wedo?' the servant said." Don't be
afraid, the prophet answered,for those who are with us are
more than those who are withthem.
And Elisha prayed, open hiseyes, Lord, so that he may see.
(06:03):
Then the Lord opened theservant's eyes and he looked and
he saw the hills full of horsesand chariots of fire all around
Elisha.
This is the word of the Lord.
So then what I love about thisstory is that it doesn't end
(06:26):
there.
The Lord kind of gives Elishathe upper hand.
He prays again.
And this time he asked the Lordto strike the enemy with
blindness.
And God does.
And in an almost humorous twist,Elisha goes out to meet the
army, that very army that cameto capture him.
And he says, you're in the wrongplace.
(06:48):
Follow me.
I'll take you to the man you'relooking for.
And he leads them straight intoSamaria, which is Israel's
stronghold.
But he practices mercy.
And when the king of Israel askshim, should we kill him?
He says, no, feed him.
Feed them.
(07:09):
So they prepare a meal, a feast,in fact.
And when they're done, theyrelease the enemy.
Not only is Elisha not harmed,but that act of kindness allowed
the enemy and caused them tonever raid that territory again.
So Elisha, the one who rested,the one who saw heaven
(07:32):
surrounding him, the one whotrusted what God showed him, not
only survived, but God shiftedthe outcome because he trusted
him.
He had victory.
He had wisdom.
In the midst of facing thestrong force of an army, he had
peace because he was rooted inan unwavering faith.
(07:56):
in his God.
This God who had already provenhimself to Elisha.
And this is the invitation as welook at this story that I think
is before us today, to stoppanicking and to start seeing,
(08:16):
to stop striving and handlingthings on our own or attempting
to and start trusting God, torest in maybe not perfect
circumstances, let me say thatagain, and not only just perfect
circumstances, because Iguarantee you they will never
(08:38):
come, but in a perfect God.
Knowing that when we abide inour perfect God, no matter what
surrounds us, we are alreadysurrounded by so much more.
This is the kind of story that Ithink some of us live more than
(09:00):
we realize.
On the surface, it wouldn't makesense for the King of Aaron to
target Elisha, but actuallythere's more going on than what
you can see in your naturaleyes.
And I think Elisha knew that.
And the same is true for us.
This life that we live, thesethings that we bring before the
(09:25):
Lord when we worship and we say,Lord, I'll lay this down and
I'll worship you.
These are the things that I'mtrusting you with.
These are the things I'm prayingfor.
Can I just tell you, it's moregoing on than what your natural
natural eyes can see we areliving in a spiritual battle and
from Elisha we can see oh howthreatened the enemy is in
(09:49):
someone walking in discernmentand in obedience yielded
trusting and resting in the hostof heaven that surrounds them
even when they can't seesometimes Sometimes rest and
confidence and trust in Godcomes not when the battle goes
(10:11):
away, but when our visionreturns to see we are not
fighting it alone.
When faith opens our eyes to seewhat was already true, resting
in the knowledge that we havealready been surrounded by what
looks like fire to our enemies.
(10:35):
We have a God surrounding usthat's not playing catch up to
our problems or our situations.
He's already ahead of it.
And some of you today, you'rebeing invited maybe out of
panic, into expectation, out ofblindness to put on new eyes to
(10:58):
see that the answer is not inyou striving or what you can
make happen that keeps coming upfor yourself.
what you can make happen foryourself, but you're invited to
rest in what God says in hisword that he will do for you.
For if it's not in God, PastorAndrea said this last week, if
(11:21):
God's not doing it, it will fallflat.
If God's not doing it, ourstriving will fall flat.
For we live, we move, we haveour being in God.
Now, that's one story.
And I recognize that not everymoment feels as clean and as
(11:44):
triumphant as what we read inKings.
Some of us We're not in themoment of vision and fire.
Perhaps we're in a cave.
So let me take you to the storyof another prophet.
Back, why do we go from 2 Kingsto now 1 Kings?
(12:08):
Let's look at Elijah.
Elijah is Elisha's predecessorwho, like Elisha, had also seen
the power of God firsthand.
In fact, he had just called downfire We know the story from
heaven on Mount Carmel in such adramatic display.
This God that rains down fire,that comes down like fire.
(12:32):
So much so that wandering heartswere turned back to God.
Elijah saw God move in power.
He saw him move in boldness, inglory, in victory.
But then, right after that highmoment, he found himself running
(12:54):
from his life, from the lifethreats, the threats on his
life, from Jezebel, whopromised, I will do to you
exactly what you have done to myprophets.
So Elijah ran in fear fromvictory to the threat of defeat
(13:16):
he ran.
And He was worn out.
He was hiding from the verythought, just the thought, just
the threat from an enemy thatGod would not show up for him.
Can I be real?
No.
(13:38):
Does the enemy not do this to usevery day?
Just the threat.
We have testimonies.
We have, oh my gosh, we are acommunity that receives each
other's testimonies.
To know that God is no respecterof persons.
If he does it for one, I canbelieve him for me.
But the lie of the enemy is hewill not do it for you.
(14:02):
That's how it goes sometimes.
You just have to a breakthrough.
Things are going well, butyou're faced with something new
and you're unsure that he willshow up for you like he did
before.
The enemy says, maybe it wasjust that one time.
(14:23):
And the thought of God notshowing up, we see in Elijah's
story, it almost drains everysingle drip of hope that he has
held onto to believe that theGod that he served would rescue
him.
The God that answers by firewill show up in fire again.
He's exhausted by the thought.
(14:46):
He's empty.
And he's in a cave, bracinghimself for impact.
And that's where we find Elijahbefore we go into this passage.
In a cave, not just physicallyisolated, but emotionally done,
right?
He's crying out to God, not foranswers, but he's kind of
(15:08):
resigning.
You might as well take me, God.
I might as well throw in thetowel.
But God says somethingunexpected in 1 Kings 19, 11 The
Lord says, After the earthquakecame a fire, but the Lord was
(15:56):
not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentlewhisper.
When Elijah heard it, he pulledhis cloak over his face and went
out and stood at the mouth ofthe cave.
What Elijah needed wasn't morefire.
(16:20):
He didn't need another dramaticdisplay to prove that God was
God.
He needed the whisper.
He needed the presence of God.
He needed intimacy because thewhisper says, I'm so close that
(16:41):
you can hear me whisper.
The whisper is the sound of Godsaying, I'm still here.
I see you.
I see your circumstances.
I'm still God and I change not.
(17:01):
I'm not done with you yet.
And what follows in this storyis even more beautiful.
It's not just this, I'm withyou, this pat on the back, I'm
here.
But God gently recommissionsElijah.
So he brings him out of thiscave and says, let's go.
Not angrily, not impassively.
(17:23):
but with purpose andreassurance, he gives him his
next steps and he reminds himhe's not alone.
God restores him.
So we stand before the word withtwo prophets, two stories.
One opens his eyes to see what'ssurrounding him and the other
(17:48):
stills his heart to hear what'salready speaking to him.
And so for some today in thisplace, you don't need chariots
of fire.
You don't need thunder.
You just need a whisper.
And it's here.
(18:10):
The same God who surrounds youon the hilltop whispers to you
in a cave, both saying, I'mAbba.
I never fail.
I'm near.
And yes, on Labor Day weekend,God is inviting us to rest in
(18:33):
him.
Not merely a physical restbecause anyone like me who knows
when you fall asleep fromexhaustion and your mind won't
turn off, true rest does notoccur.
It's not physical.
It begins in your spirit.
(18:53):
And we need the rest in ourspirit.
Jesus Jesus said in Matthew 11and 28, come to me all who are
weary and burdened.
Some scripture says heavy ladenand I will give you rest.
Hebrews 4 and 9 through 11 tellsus that there remains, there
(19:18):
remaineth a rest for the peopleof God.
It's waiting for you.
It's been, when was Hebrewswritten?
It's been waiting.
Waiting for you.
Sabbath, rest, sure.
When we try to, was it Shabbat?
Was it Sabbath?
All meaning this rest, but atype and a shadow of the rest
(19:41):
that is stored up for us throughthe sacrifice of Christ.
This is what Jesus won for us.
This was what it was all about,his sacrifice to rescue us, to
restore us to the place.
Imagine the Garden of Eden, Godwalking in the cool of the day
(20:02):
with Adam and Eve.
This is the price Jesus paid torestore us back into intimacy,
into oneness, walking with nowGod and Jesus.
walking with them, partakers ofthe oneness that they share.
This is the rest.
(20:23):
It's not a passive stance.
It's an empowered stance that Ido not walk alone.
I don't walk alone.
I walk in oneness with God andthe Father alongside me.
And the Holy Spirit does thismysterious thing where he
empowers me to do what theFather is calling me to do.
This rest that Hebrews 4 says,It has been waiting for us and
(20:48):
it is a command over our life.
I just want us to get that for aminute.
It's not a, it would be nice ifyou would, or a suggestion.
Hebrews 4 says this is acommand.
He's telling us, I command therest, my rest over your life.
And it tells us in Hebrews 4 aswell, that some could not enter
(21:12):
into this rest because ofunbelief.
So we must agree with God.
If you've been born again andyou're a born again believer
through the power of the HolySpirit, you have the authority,
yes, to speak, you have thepower over the enemy, but you
(21:34):
also have the authority tocommand the rest of the Lord
over your life.
And I just want you to have amoment real quick to agree with
God.
Say, I command the rest of theLord over me.
And for some, it's I command therest of the Lord over my
(21:56):
relationships, over my family,over my body.
Body, come into alignment.
I command the rest of the Lordover my job.
Whatever it is that you've beenstriving to work on for
yourself, we can command therest of God.
So I'll leave you with thisquestion.
(22:20):
I believe the Lord is asking ustoday, what is it that you're
striving?
Where are you striving when he'scalling you to rest?
What fear has you franticallyworking and striving and
worrying when he's saying,settle here.
My presence is enough.
(22:45):
I've already surrounded you witheverything that you need.
Maybe today you find yourself inthe middle of a visible battle
like Elisha and Elisha's servantand you're frantic.
You're surrounded by maybe realchallenges.
I don't want to discard those.
(23:06):
I don't want to honor that.
You're facing maybe realchallenges, anxieties, demands.
But God is saying to you, let meopen your eyes to see that I've
already put things in place foryou.
Or maybe you're more likeElijah.
You've obeyed.
You've poured out.
(23:27):
You've been faithful.
And now you're weary and you'retired and you're in a cave
wondering if any of it mattered.
And to you, God is whispering,I'm still here.
I have not failed you.
I will not let you fall.
And again, I'm not done with youyet.
(23:52):
either way this is theinvitation come out of panic
come to the whisper come out offear come into rest and let his
faithfulness up to this point beyour foundation let his record
be your reminder that you have aGod that will never fail you and
(24:17):
you have a responsibility inthis you have an act step to
command rest over your life.
Sabbath rest is not only a day,right?
This day that we gather andthis, we call this our Sabbath.
You can live in a place of rest,in a place of Sabbath.
(24:40):
You can return to it anytime.
It's not inactivity.
He's teaching us how to come inalignment with his perfect will
for your life.
how to work with he and thefather so that you're tucked in
and hemmed in.
So if you step out of place, ifthe enemy ever causes, speak
(25:03):
some type of accusation, you cancome right back into practicing
this place of rest with Jesusbecause he's always been right
there.
Let's pray.
Abba, you are the God whosurrounds us when we can't see.
(25:31):
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
(25:58):
Thank you that your presencedoesn't just fight for us in the
battle, but you meet us in thestillness.
And the service has felt like apeaceful stillness.
Thank you for whispering whenlife gets loud, for opening our
eyes when fear tries to bind usand to blind us.
(26:22):
Teach us, Lord, to cease fromstriving.
I keep hearing that again.
For trying to do what we thinkwe can do for ourselves.
Help us to cease from that andto trust the hands that have
never failed us.
The fourth man in the fire torest in the arms that have never
(26:46):
dropped us.
And we say again, you are, weagree with you, you are Abba.
We agree with it.
We speak it until our heartcomes into alignment.
You are Abba.
You will do exactly what yousaid that you will do.
Help us to live in a place ofrest, not in activity, but let
(27:10):
your rest overtake our lives andteach us, Holy Spirit, how to
live from this place.
Lord, search us in this momentas your word is sitting, and I
praise sinking into our hearts.
I pray that you would deal withevery bit of doubt.
I pray that you would deal withour trust issues until we become
(27:33):
settled in your word and who youare.
Help us to yield to you.
It is in your son Jesus' namethat we pray.
Amen.
Amen.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus And I don't mean
(00:26):
figuratively, I actually meanreally, to turn the eyes of our
heart toward him.
So just take a moment, breathein deep, as we settle before the
Lord's word and we turn ourhearts toward Jesus.
we're few here but i just wantto recognize that on this labor
(00:51):
day weekend while the world istalking about resting from work
i believe that we're hereintentionally whether you're in
the seats or streaming in theholy spirit is inviting us to
receive a deeper rest as well inhim and not just from your labor
but from striving many of thesongs talked about from fear
(01:16):
from maybe Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
(01:40):
but from a heart that is laiddown its fight and has learned
to trust God again.
Amen.
Amen.
We get a chance to go into theword of the Lord and we'll pray
in a moment.
I have not introduced myself forthose that are visiting maybe
for the first time.
Welcome to the house of theLord.
I'm Pastor Erica Williams.
(02:01):
I am one of the co-pastors herealong with Pastor Andrea, who
you will see probably nextSunday, but is off for this
weekend.
Welcome to the house of theLord.
Let us pray.
Holy Spirit, in this moment, aswe do stand or sit before your
(02:22):
word, we do just that.
We ask you to help us to turnour eyes toward you.
This moment with you, hearingfrom you, is maybe for some
feels like something thatthey've checked the box off of,
something that maybe they didn'twant to do today.
But I just want to remind us,this is the most important
(02:45):
moment of the week to sit inyour presence and to hear from
you.
I pray that as we do that, youwould speak uniquely and
individually to each one of usand to transform us by your
word.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
(03:07):
We're going to do this a littledifferent today.
I do want to invite you into theword of God, where we'll
actually glance at two passages,both in the book of Kings, so
first and second Kings.
But let me give you some contextbefore we get to the verses I
want to read over you and intoyou today.
So there's only two scripturesthat I'll be reading.
(03:30):
So if you'll forgive me for notasking you to stand, just two
passages, but we'll get to thatin a minute.
In 2 Kings 6, the king, we'restarting with the king of Aram
and he's waging war againstIsrael.
But every time he tries toambush Israel, Israel's army
(03:52):
somehow knows exactly where notto be.
He gets so frustrated that heassumes someone is a spy within
his inner circle.
He thinks he has a But hisofficers say, no, king, it's
that prophet, Elisha.
He's the one.
(04:13):
And he somehow even knows whatyou're doing and what you speak
in your bedroom.
The king sends horses.
He sends chariots.
He sends this strong show offorce by night to surround the
city where Elisha is staying.
(04:33):
And my contemplative selfinvites you just for a moment to
picture that and let that sinkin.
A whole army that is sent afterone man of God.
Elisha at this moment wasn'trunning from the enemy.
He wasn't exposed.
(04:54):
He quite literally was asleep.
He was resting.
And then this is where we pickup in the word Elisha's servant
wakes up.
He sees that they're surroundedand is shaken with fear.
But Elisha, on the other hand,sees something entirely
different.
(05:16):
So we'll go into 2 Kings 6 and15 through 17.
15 begins when the servant ofthe man of God got up and went
out early the next morning.
An army with horses and chariotshad surrounded the city.
(05:39):
"'Oh no, my Lord, what shall wedo?' the servant said." Don't be
afraid, the prophet answered,for those who are with us are
more than those who are withthem.
And Elisha prayed, open hiseyes, Lord, so that he may see.
(06:03):
Then the Lord opened theservant's eyes and he looked and
he saw the hills full of horsesand chariots of fire all around
Elisha.
This is the word of the Lord.
So then what I love about thisstory is that it doesn't end
(06:26):
there.
The Lord kind of gives Elishathe upper hand.
He prays again.
And this time he asked the Lordto strike the enemy with
blindness.
And God does.
And in an almost humorous twist,Elisha goes out to meet the
army, that very army that cameto capture him.
And he says, you're in the wrongplace.
(06:48):
Follow me.
I'll take you to the man you'relooking for.
And he leads them straight intoSamaria, which is Israel's
stronghold.
But he practices mercy.
And when the king of Israel askshim, should we kill him?
He says, no, feed him.
Feed them.
(07:09):
So they prepare a meal, a feast,in fact.
And when they're done, theyrelease the enemy.
Not only is Elisha not harmed,but that act of kindness allowed
the enemy and caused them tonever raid that territory again.
So Elisha, the one who rested,the one who saw heaven
(07:32):
surrounding him, the one whotrusted what God showed him, not
only survived, but God shiftedthe outcome because he trusted
him.
He had victory.
He had wisdom.
In the midst of facing thestrong force of an army, he had
peace because he was rooted inan unwavering faith.
(07:56):
in his God.
This God who had already provenhimself to Elisha.
And this is the invitation as welook at this story that I think
is before us today, to stoppanicking and to start seeing,
(08:16):
to stop striving and handlingthings on our own or attempting
to and start trusting God, torest in maybe not perfect
circumstances, let me say thatagain, and not only just perfect
circumstances, because Iguarantee you they will never
(08:38):
come, but in a perfect God.
Knowing that when we abide inour perfect God, no matter what
surrounds us, we are alreadysurrounded by so much more.
This is the kind of story that Ithink some of us live more than
(09:00):
we realize.
On the surface, it wouldn't makesense for the King of Aaron to
target Elisha, but actuallythere's more going on than what
you can see in your naturaleyes.
And I think Elisha knew that.
And the same is true for us.
This life that we live, thesethings that we bring before the
(09:25):
Lord when we worship and we say,Lord, I'll lay this down and
I'll worship you.
These are the things that I'mtrusting you with.
These are the things I'm prayingfor.
Can I just tell you, it's moregoing on than what your natural
natural eyes can see we areliving in a spiritual battle and
from Elisha we can see oh howthreatened the enemy is in
(09:49):
someone walking in discernmentand in obedience yielded
trusting and resting in the hostof heaven that surrounds them
even when they can't seesometimes Sometimes rest and
confidence and trust in Godcomes not when the battle goes
(10:11):
away, but when our visionreturns to see we are not
fighting it alone.
When faith opens our eyes to seewhat was already true, resting
in the knowledge that we havealready been surrounded by what
looks like fire to our enemies.
(10:35):
We have a God surrounding usthat's not playing catch up to
our problems or our situations.
He's already ahead of it.
And some of you today, you'rebeing invited maybe out of
panic, into expectation, out ofblindness to put on new eyes to
(10:58):
see that the answer is not inyou striving or what you can
make happen that keeps coming upfor yourself.
what you can make happen foryourself, but you're invited to
rest in what God says in hisword that he will do for you.
For if it's not in God, PastorAndrea said this last week, if
(11:21):
God's not doing it, it will fallflat.
If God's not doing it, ourstriving will fall flat.
For we live, we move, we haveour being in God.
Now, that's one story.
And I recognize that not everymoment feels as clean and as
(11:44):
triumphant as what we read inKings.
Some of us We're not in themoment of vision and fire.
Perhaps we're in a cave.
So let me take you to the storyof another prophet.
Back, why do we go from 2 Kingsto now 1 Kings?
(12:08):
Let's look at Elijah.
Elijah is Elisha's predecessorwho, like Elisha, had also seen
the power of God firsthand.
In fact, he had just called downfire We know the story from
heaven on Mount Carmel in such adramatic display.
This God that rains down fire,that comes down like fire.
(12:32):
So much so that wandering heartswere turned back to God.
Elijah saw God move in power.
He saw him move in boldness, inglory, in victory.
But then, right after that highmoment, he found himself running
(12:54):
from his life, from the lifethreats, the threats on his
life, from Jezebel, whopromised, I will do to you
exactly what you have done to myprophets.
So Elijah ran in fear fromvictory to the threat of defeat
(13:16):
he ran.
And He was worn out.
He was hiding from the verythought, just the thought, just
the threat from an enemy thatGod would not show up for him.
Can I be real?
No.
(13:38):
Does the enemy not do this to usevery day?
Just the threat.
We have testimonies.
We have, oh my gosh, we are acommunity that receives each
other's testimonies.
To know that God is no respecterof persons.
If he does it for one, I canbelieve him for me.
But the lie of the enemy is hewill not do it for you.
(14:02):
That's how it goes sometimes.
You just have to a breakthrough.
Things are going well, butyou're faced with something new
and you're unsure that he willshow up for you like he did
before.
The enemy says, maybe it wasjust that one time.
(14:23):
And the thought of God notshowing up, we see in Elijah's
story, it almost drains everysingle drip of hope that he has
held onto to believe that theGod that he served would rescue
him.
The God that answers by firewill show up in fire again.
He's exhausted by the thought.
(14:46):
He's empty.
And he's in a cave, bracinghimself for impact.
And that's where we find Elijahbefore we go into this passage.
In a cave, not just physicallyisolated, but emotionally done,
right?
He's crying out to God, not foranswers, but he's kind of
(15:08):
resigning.
You might as well take me, God.
I might as well throw in thetowel.
But God says somethingunexpected in 1 Kings 19, 11 The
Lord says, After the earthquakecame a fire, but the Lord was
(15:56):
not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentlewhisper.
When Elijah heard it, he pulledhis cloak over his face and went
out and stood at the mouth ofthe cave.
What Elijah needed wasn't morefire.
(16:20):
He didn't need another dramaticdisplay to prove that God was
God.
He needed the whisper.
He needed the presence of God.
He needed intimacy because thewhisper says, I'm so close that
(16:41):
you can hear me whisper.
The whisper is the sound of Godsaying, I'm still here.
I see you.
I see your circumstances.
I'm still God and I change not.
(17:01):
I'm not done with you yet.
And what follows in this storyis even more beautiful.
It's not just this, I'm withyou, this pat on the back, I'm
here.
But God gently recommissionsElijah.
So he brings him out of thiscave and says, let's go.
Not angrily, not impassively.
(17:23):
but with purpose andreassurance, he gives him his
next steps and he reminds himhe's not alone.
God restores him.
So we stand before the word withtwo prophets, two stories.
One opens his eyes to see what'ssurrounding him and the other
(17:48):
stills his heart to hear what'salready speaking to him.
And so for some today in thisplace, you don't need chariots
of fire.
You don't need thunder.
You just need a whisper.
And it's here.
(18:10):
The same God who surrounds youon the hilltop whispers to you
in a cave, both saying, I'mAbba.
I never fail.
I'm near.
And yes, on Labor Day weekend,God is inviting us to rest in
(18:33):
him.
Not merely a physical restbecause anyone like me who knows
when you fall asleep fromexhaustion and your mind won't
turn off, true rest does notoccur.
It's not physical.
It begins in your spirit.
(18:53):
And we need the rest in ourspirit.
Jesus Jesus said in Matthew 11and 28, come to me all who are
weary and burdened.
Some scripture says heavy ladenand I will give you rest.
Hebrews 4 and 9 through 11 tellsus that there remains, there
(19:18):
remaineth a rest for the peopleof God.
It's waiting for you.
It's been, when was Hebrewswritten?
It's been waiting.
Waiting for you.
Sabbath, rest, sure.
When we try to, was it Shabbat?
Was it Sabbath?
All meaning this rest, but atype and a shadow of the rest
(19:41):
that is stored up for us throughthe sacrifice of Christ.
This is what Jesus won for us.
This was what it was all about,his sacrifice to rescue us, to
restore us to the place.
Imagine the Garden of Eden, Godwalking in the cool of the day
(20:02):
with Adam and Eve.
This is the price Jesus paid torestore us back into intimacy,
into oneness, walking with nowGod and Jesus.
walking with them, partakers ofthe oneness that they share.
This is the rest.
(20:23):
It's not a passive stance.
It's an empowered stance that Ido not walk alone.
I don't walk alone.
I walk in oneness with God andthe Father alongside me.
And the Holy Spirit does thismysterious thing where he
empowers me to do what theFather is calling me to do.
This rest that Hebrews 4 says,It has been waiting for us and
(20:48):
it is a command over our life.
I just want us to get that for aminute.
It's not a, it would be nice ifyou would, or a suggestion.
Hebrews 4 says this is acommand.
He's telling us, I command therest, my rest over your life.
And it tells us in Hebrews 4 aswell, that some could not enter
(21:12):
into this rest because ofunbelief.
So we must agree with God.
If you've been born again andyou're a born again believer
through the power of the HolySpirit, you have the authority,
yes, to speak, you have thepower over the enemy, but you
(21:34):
also have the authority tocommand the rest of the Lord
over your life.
And I just want you to have amoment real quick to agree with
God.
Say, I command the rest of theLord over me.
And for some, it's I command therest of the Lord over my
(21:56):
relationships, over my family,over my body.
Body, come into alignment.
I command the rest of the Lordover my job.
Whatever it is that you've beenstriving to work on for
yourself, we can command therest of God.
So I'll leave you with thisquestion.
(22:20):
I believe the Lord is asking ustoday, what is it that you're
striving?
Where are you striving when he'scalling you to rest?
What fear has you franticallyworking and striving and
worrying when he's saying,settle here.
My presence is enough.
(22:45):
I've already surrounded you witheverything that you need.
Maybe today you find yourself inthe middle of a visible battle
like Elisha and Elisha's servantand you're frantic.
You're surrounded by maybe realchallenges.
I don't want to discard those.
(23:06):
I don't want to honor that.
You're facing maybe realchallenges, anxieties, demands.
But God is saying to you, let meopen your eyes to see that I've
already put things in place foryou.
Or maybe you're more likeElijah.
You've obeyed.
You've poured out.
(23:27):
You've been faithful.
And now you're weary and you'retired and you're in a cave
wondering if any of it mattered.
And to you, God is whispering,I'm still here.
I have not failed you.
I will not let you fall.
And again, I'm not done with youyet.
(23:52):
either way this is theinvitation come out of panic
come to the whisper come out offear come into rest and let his
faithfulness up to this point beyour foundation let his record
be your reminder that you have aGod that will never fail you and
(24:17):
you have a responsibility inthis you have an act step to
command rest over your life.
Sabbath rest is not only a day,right?
This day that we gather andthis, we call this our Sabbath.
You can live in a place of rest,in a place of Sabbath.
(24:40):
You can return to it anytime.
It's not inactivity.
He's teaching us how to come inalignment with his perfect will
for your life.
how to work with he and thefather so that you're tucked in
and hemmed in.
So if you step out of place, ifthe enemy ever causes, speak
(25:03):
some type of accusation, you cancome right back into practicing
this place of rest with Jesusbecause he's always been right
there.
Let's pray.
Abba, you are the God whosurrounds us when we can't see.
(25:31):
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
(25:58):
Thank you that your presencedoesn't just fight for us in the
battle, but you meet us in thestillness.
And the service has felt like apeaceful stillness.
Thank you for whispering whenlife gets loud, for opening our
eyes when fear tries to bind usand to blind us.
(26:22):
Teach us, Lord, to cease fromstriving.
I keep hearing that again.
For trying to do what we thinkwe can do for ourselves.
Help us to cease from that andto trust the hands that have
never failed us.
The fourth man in the fire torest in the arms that have never
(26:46):
dropped us.
And we say again, you are, weagree with you, you are Abba.
We agree with it.
We speak it until our heartcomes into alignment.
You are Abba.
You will do exactly what yousaid that you will do.
Help us to live in a place ofrest, not in activity, but let
(27:10):
your rest overtake our lives andteach us, Holy Spirit, how to
live from this place.
Lord, search us in this momentas your word is sitting, and I
praise sinking into our hearts.
I pray that you would deal withevery bit of doubt.
I pray that you would deal withour trust issues until we become
(27:33):
settled in your word and who youare.
Help us to yield to you.
It is in your son Jesus' namethat we pray.
Amen.
Amen.
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