Resting And Healing

There is another kind of rest—that seems to be the connection here with the discussion earlier in the chapter. It is the wonderful rest of not having to hide who we really are. Keeping up a pretense is wearing and it saps energy. In fact, in God’s presence it is a waste of energy, because God’s Word can penetrate any defense we put up, trying to maintain a fiction about our own godliness. That Word goes to “the inmost recesses of our spiritual being and brings the subconscious motive to light” (F. F. Bruce). With Jesus we can relax, not because we are perfect but because the one who has experienced it all offers an answer to our shame and a remedy for our sin. He is ascended to the very center of power beyond the universe (Rom. 8:34), “…leaving your Spirit till the work on earth is done” (Melody Green).

We all know people (perhaps it is you!) who never relax when a visitor comes into their house. They are all too conscious of what is not clean or tidy, or what they intended to put right before it was on view, or how their children are behaving. Their discomfort gets in the way of a relaxed sharing heart-to-heart. In several of the countries I visit people are amazed I have a good relationship with my three daughters-in-law. For them a mother-in-law is never satisfied with the woman who marries her beloved son.

Jesus is not dissatisfied with us, but he will still want to do some repair work. So the Word of God, “sharp” (12) to penetrate to the core, suggests another metaphor—less comfortable but still necessary. When a surgeon’s scalpel is available to cut out an unwanted growth, it encourages early diagnosis and removal before the tumor leads to death. “[Y]ou need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion” (Heb. 10:36, The Message).

Where do you need the scalpel before the healing brings you rest?