Being a student is hard work. It’s studying to answer questions correctly on a test and learning to discuss and debate tricky issues. It’s trusting that the teacher is up to date on their subject matter and correct in their teachings. It’s trying again when we fail.
Sounds exhausting, right?
The good news is, being a student of God ensures spiritual rest while we cultivate and care for the earth and its people. In God’s original plan, Adam was “put” in the Garden of Eden to work it and care for it. What’s interesting is that this word “put” in Hebrew, nûaḥ, means to settle, rest, and wait. Let that sink in: God designed work to be restful.
Even after the fall, the path toward rest is evident, that those who obey God’s commands get to experience what he promises. For instance, the elders to whom Peter wrote had the difficult job of teaching and caring for their flock, that is, people of God under their supervision (read 1 Peter 5). To do so, they had to remain humble. This humility to one another and to their flock gained them God’s favor. With this, their submission to God, they could faithfully obey because God promised to lift them up in due time. He promised they did not have to carry the weight of their anxieties, but instead he’d carry their worries for them.
Today, like then, we need the power of God to lift us up so we can find rest. Being a student of God requires submission to God’s calling, and as we submit, the abundance of his promises becomes ours. Though we may fail at times, God welcomes us back with open arms and keeps his promise to give us rest for our souls.
God, I bow down before you in humility because I know that spiritual rest comes from obeying your word and experiencing your promises. Thank you for caring for me and holding me when I need you and lifting me when the time is right. You are faithful and true. In your name I pray. Amen.
Throughout This Day: Think about where in your life you need to humble yourself to God as his student. Read verses such as Psalm 145:13–15 for encouragement.
Photo Credit: Vitaly Gariev