Are you struggling to see breakthroughs and restoration in areas of your life? My friend, God wants you in a position of rest to receive His blessings! Join Joseph Prince in this three part series and learn why rest is the most powerful posture you can take in life.

Seek Rest First That It May Be Well

God does not say, “Wait until all your enemies have been destroyed, until every problem in your life has been resolved, then you can rest.” He says, “Rest first until I make all your enemies your footstool.”

What do you see when it comes to healing for a condition in your sick body or breakthroughs for your financial challenges? Do you see lack and say, “Let me get out of this situation first. Let me hear the doctors’ reports say that everything is clear, and then I can rest”?

We find it hard to rest because our human nature is inclined toward worry and restlessness. The devil loves to see human nature reign in the church and to have you believe that you can only rest when things go well or when you see your breakthroughs. Stop saying, “When my child finishes primary school, I will stop worrying and rest.” You know what? After primary school, there is secondary school. Then, after your child completes secondary school, you will say, “I think when my child finishes university, then I will rest.” And you will never rest!

I want to share about two women who faced a financial situation during a time of famine. Now, Naomi was a woman of God and this is what she said to her daughter-in-law Ruth.

“My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?”

—Ruth 3:1 (KJV)

In other words, Naomi told Ruth, “Shall I not seek rest for you, so that things will go well for you?” Isn’t it strange that Naomi mentioned rest first? Isn’t human nature more inclined to say, “Shall I not seek for things to go well with you, so that you can rest?”

When you rest, you will rule in the midst of your enemies.

But God wants His nature to reign and He loves you so much that He says, “You are already seated on the throne. You rest first. Sit down until I put the conquered enemies—that financial situation, that symptom in your body—under your feet.”

God wants you to find rest in the midst of the storm. And when you rest in Him, things will go well. This doesn’t mean that there are no enemies. But you will rule in the midst of your enemies! (see Psalm 110:2)

Psalm 23:5 says that God prepares a table for you
in the presence, not the absence, of your enemies. Some of you may say, “Lord, how can you expect me to eat now? The symptoms are still in my body! My bank account still shows the lack! Lord, I will eat well and I will celebrate when all my problems are resolved.”

But the Bible says that God doesn’t follow human nature. God says, “I will prepare a table. You eat first! You eat in the presence of your enemies, and I will take care of your enemies.”

Don’t Postpone Your Rest

Isaiah 53 describes Jesus’ suffering and what He accomplished for us on the cross. It says that He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and by His stripes, we are healed!

The reason we can rest and rejoice in the midst of our enemies is because Jesus defeated them when He took our place and bore our sins on the cross. He has done it all and the work is finished (see Hebrews 10:12–14). We only need to take up a throne attitude and rest in Him.

So as we are resting in His finished work, what should our response be? How do we partake of all
that Jesus has done? Right after Isaiah 53, the Scripture says:

“Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and
cry aloud, you who have not labored with child! For more are the children
of the desolate than the children of the married woman…Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords…For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations…”

—Isaiah 54:1–3

Jesus has defeated the enemies and God is telling the barren woman to rejoice! The “barren woman” is a picture of someone who has not seen results, signs of health in her body or signs of abundance in her situation. Being barren is not God’s will for you. The Word says that God never meant for us to be barren. God blessed man and told him to be fruitful (see Genesis 9:7). So in Isaiah 54, God is saying, “Sing now, and prepare for your blessing! Enlarge your tent and prepare for growth! Do not spare. Expand your territory and your descendants will inherit the nations.”

God wants you to enjoy life before the problem is resolved.

Imagine you are a barren woman singing, “Hallelujah! I’m a mother of many! The Lord loves me!” The devil will come and say to you, “A mother of many? Where is your child? Aren’t you a hypocrite?” But don’t stop rejoicing. God wants you to enjoy life before the problem is resolved. Start singing even before you see the manifestation. Stop postponing your joy and peace. Stop waiting for Christmas to celebrate. Make every day a celebration of life, and learn to rest in the midst of your problems.

It should be a daily response to go to Jesus for our rest. Jesus Himself tells us to come to Him and He will give us rest.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

—Matthew 11:28

Whenever you are heavy laden with worries or cares, weighed down by the yoke of the law, or in the midst of any enemy that is weighing you down, go to Jesus and you will find rest in Him. Rejoice, sit down and prop your feet up, because God has promised that He will deal with your enemies and make them your footstool!

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<< Read Why You Should Learn To Rest Part 1/3

<< Read Why You Should Learn To Rest Part 2/3

Enjoyed reading this article? Find out more in this MP3

The Life Of Rest – The Story Of Ruth