Rest easy

1 Samuel 30:24
For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.”

There are times when the trials of this world can be too much. Heck, there are times when it seems as though just getting out of bed in the morning can be too much. Am I right? When times like these come our way we tend to feel bad because we’re tired. We’re not able to continue; we’re letting people down. And then, as if our own self-deprecation weren’t enough, there are people who will tell us things like, “Suck it up; you have to dig deeper!” That’s just not helpful.

This happens at home, at work, at school, and sadly, even at church. Instead of our friends, family, co-workers, and pastors seeing that we’re hurting and in need, they see us as “slacking off” or becoming lazy. We’re given new challenges and new goals as some sort of psychological way of revitalizing our spirits when the truth is, we just need rest.

David was a great leader. When he saw that 200 of his 600 men were completely worn out he didn’t challenge them with a new hurdle or obstacle. He didn’t call them to “step up to the plate”. He knew they were down; he knew they were weak. Instead of making them feel worse, he recognized what they needed, rest, and freely gave it to them. Even though he knew he would soon be going into battle with the Philistines, he allowed ⅓ of his army to stay behind with the supplies and rest.

When he returned with the spoils of war, David’s men were upset. They didn’t like the fact that he intended to give to the 200 men who didn’t fight (who were too weak to fight) the same reward as those who went down and did fight. But David knew that the 400 men hadn’t won the war. He knew that it was God who defeated the Philistines for them.

So how does this play into our lives today? When the trials of life come, when you’re just too tired to even get out of bed, it’s okay to rest. There shouldn’t be any guilt associated with resting. For one, Jesus came that we might have rest (Matthew 11:28), and two, there is no condemnation (guilt) for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). When we do rest, however, there are those around us who will still try to make us feel guilty for it.

Like David (or more appropriately, like Himself), Jesus recognizes when you’re worn out. He knows when you’re too tired. He wants you to stay in the camp and rest while He goes out to defeat your enemies for you. And, just like in 1 Samuel, those who are able to fight alongside Him and those who are just to darn tired to move will all receive an equal share in the spoils of war. His grace is more than enough for anyone, weak or strong. His mercies are new every day; He is faithful to His promises.

So if you’re fired up and ready for battle, get in there with the King and fight. But if you’re worn out and weary from the journey, chill out for a while and rest.