Strange though it may seem for us humans who cannot see the future, the Lord does see the future. And, as I discovered a year or so ago when the Lord called me to a major, longer-than-usual rest, He was not only telling me to rest because of where I had been in my life. He had called me to this rest because He knew where I was headed.
I received a refresher course in this lesson in the past six months. I could not understand why my life had slowed down tremendously. It was obvious I had been given an opportunity to slow down and rest, but as usual I resisted it. I could not understand how I could be involved in full-time ministry and have so much time on my hands. But the Lord knew. He was preparing me for what would come in the following months. Only in retrospect, as I reflect on something quite unbelievable that happened which required a phenomenal amount of love and endurance over the ensuing months did I realize why God had wanted me to rest.
Like so many of us, I think of preparation for most things in life as involving study, work, action, activity, etc. The Lord has not only taught me that the most important preparation takes place in my heart when I am studying and applying His Word, but also that I need to be well rested for whatever He calls me to do.
Today, as I had plenty of opportunity to rest, I distinctly heard the Lord speak into my heart that He is preparing me. And I am quite certain that that preparation involves rest. So rather than fight against this rest to which I have been called, I plan to fix myself a huge bowl of popcorn, grab a yummy book, and curl up near the dogs to enjoy my evening. Of rest.