Posted by …on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Genesis 2:2
Over the past couple of weeks we have looked at the complexity of creation, how it is purpose built with intricate detail in its design. We have also seen this pattern of purpose built with intricate detail in the lives of Bible characters. This leads to the question…is that same pattern seen in our lives? Has God the creator put the same amount of purpose and detail in our lives as He did with creation and those people in the Bible?
On the seventh day God rested
For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Hebrews 4:10
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:3
The Bible tells us that on the seventh day, God rested from His work of creation. We understand this to mean that He ceased the work of creation and that it was complete and final. God rested in the sense that He no longer creates but now sustains…so does that mean that all things (including future things) were created and set within those first six days?
The Bible says that the works were finished from the foundation of the world (Heb 4:3) and that He ceased from His creation works from that point forward (Heb 4:10).
So, what does that mean for us?
Was your life plan included in those first six days of creation?
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1:5
Your birth was not a surprise to God. I am confident that He knew the exact time (down to the millisecond) that you were conceived and then born. The Bible makes it clear God knew us well before we were conceived and furthermore has preordained good works for us to walk in! (Please make sure you check the footnote at the end of this re: Calvinism)
Philippians 1:6 tells us that God will continue to work His plan in us to conform us to the image of Christ until His return. Imagine the level of detail and knowledge required to be continually working in the life of one person let alone millions at any one time. That takes some serious commitment. I can only imagine how much value God must place on each individual to invest that much time and effort into one person for their whole life (and let’s face, we don’t make easy for Him sometimes).
The level of detail reveals the level of value
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7
Think about something or someone you hold in great esteem and of great value. How intimately do you know it/them? How much interest do you display in it/them? How much time do you devote to protecting , looking over, and thinking on that thing or person? Generally the amount of interest you have reveals its/their intrinsic value to you.
God knows the very number of hairs on our head! That’s the level of interest He has in our lives. That’s the level of detailed knowledge He has regarding every individual. That’s how much value He places on us individually! I bet you couldn’t count the number of hairs on your head on any given day…but God knows.
Fun fact… Each day, we lose 50 to 80 strands of hair. New strands of hair, which have an average life cycle of 2 to 7 years, replace those that we lose daily. Each hair grows independently and at different times and rates to the others. Hair has no feelings and no inherent life of itself…yet, God knows the intimate details of each strand on our head. In the grand scheme of things, hair is probably not that important, so imagine how He must look at the ‘big’ things like our life, direction and purpose….Amazing. For God to pay that much attention to the seemingly insignificant detail of our hair must determine we are of great value to Him!
What does God really think about you?
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11
So let’s add a little more encouragement into the mix. If you weren’t excited about the fact that the Creator of all things (seen and unseen) has intimate knowledge of our lives and actively walks with us every day and desires our fellowship, then what about how He thinks about you.
He is not waiting to beat us into submission with a big stick, or hit us with a bolt of lightning every time we make a mistake, sin etc as some would have us believe. Jeremiah 29:11 makes it very clear the way God thinks about us…thoughts of peace…WOW.
As a saved person who has trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you have PEACE with God (Romans 5:1).
How does this all relate to REST?
The ability to REST hinges on having confidence in the one that you are resting in. Although we may not understand some seasons and events in our lives, the challenge is to draw encouragement from:
- trusting that all things are “father filtered”
- knowing the depth and care with which the One who created us sees us, and
- knowing there is an end result that is a part of a plan that has intricate detail to it.
So let’s unpack this a little
So based on the fact that God cannot lie and the Bible is truth then:
- God created you and I as unique individuals
- He knew us before we were conceived in our mother’s womb
- He has a deep and intimate understanding of us.
- His thoughts towards us are of peace and not evil
- He tells us that all thing work together for good for us.
- Everything in our lives, every event, has purpose.
The purpose
Part of repositioning ourselves to return unto rest is understanding that none of us are going through trials for no reason. And it’s not until we are through them that we see the fruit.
So then, what’s the fruit?
The abiding fruit of all of this culminates in you having a testimony of Gods work in your life.
Next – God loves you so much that HE gave you a testimony for Him!
Footnote: A quick word on Calvinism and predestination
Don’t mistake what I’ve mentioned here as aligning with Calvinism. Romans 8:29, 30 make it clear that God knows who will choose Jesus and has therefore predestined the saved to be conformed to the image of Christ. It all has to do with His foreknowledge of our choices not His taking away of our free will and pre determining those to be saved as the Calvinists believe.
Reposition yourself to return unto rest 