On day four, we are given permission to do nothing. It is extremely important to create space to take some time and recalibrate. Find out why rest is necessary to fully recover. After you've just leveraged all the faith you had in God, it is not the time to make a big life decision. Today, Louie Giglio explains why.
Summary
Celebrate Rest.
Instead of jumping right into the next big thing, it is imperative to embrace a time of doing nothing. Isaiah 30:15 says,
"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it."
God was telling His people to rest, and they were refusing. It was to their detriment. God calls us to rest. There is a time for everything, a time to work, and also to sit back for a bit.
Celebrate rest. Create space and give everyone grace. Do absolutely nothing so you can rest and recoup emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. One comp won’t cut it. No, this takes time. The time needed is directly correlated to the size of the summit.
Delay Big Decisions.
After you work so hard and complete something massive, you are not in the position to take on a massive life change. So, if you can, delay big life decisions. Let the rest happen, let the recalibration happen, let your heart refill to full, let your emotions balance, let your spirit recover, and then, when you have clarity, you can ask God what the next step is.
You will eventually be in the position of a clear and sober mind, with a healthy perspective and Godly counsel that will help you navigate the waters of a big life decision, but you have to give time for the dust to settle and the smoke to clear so that you can see clearly and understand fully all that is involved with that decision.
Psalm 37:7 says to be still before the Lord and wait patiently on Him. By doing this, you are giving room for recovery.
What's Next?
Remember, rest is a gift from God that gives us the ability to recoup physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Read Isaiah 30:15. What is God commanding? Why? What was the response of His people?
Have you ever taken time to recover? Do you find it hard not to fill your time? Is it hard to give yourself permission to celebrate rest?
What do you consider a big life decision? Have you ever made any of them on the backside of a mountain? Why do we need to be cautious about this?
What is the instruction found in Psalm 37:7? How does this offer breathing room for everything to settle before you make a big life-altering decision?
Scripture References
11.I will remember the deeds of the Lord;yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.12.I will consider all your worksand meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
1.I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;with my mouth I will make your faithfulness knownthrough all generations.2.I will declare that your love stands firm forever,that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.3.You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,I have sworn to David my servant,4.‘I will establish your line foreverand make your throne firm through all generations.’ ”89:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 37, 45 and 48.5.The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.6.For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?7.In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;he is more awesome than all who surround him.8.Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.9.You rule over the surging sea;when its waves mount up, you still them.10.You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.11.The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;you founded the world and all that is in it.12.You created the north and the south;Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.13.Your arm is endowed with power;your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.14.Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;love and faithfulness go before you.15.Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.16.They rejoice in your name all day long;they celebrate your righteousness.17.For you are their glory and strength,and by your favor you exalt our horn.89:17 Horn here symbolizes strong one.18.Indeed, our shield89:18 Or sovereign belongs to the Lord,our king to the Holy One of Israel.19.Once you spoke in a vision,to your faithful people you said:“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;I have raised up a young man from among the people.20.I have found David my servant;with my sacred oil I have anointed him.21.My hand will sustain him;surely my arm will strengthen him.22.The enemy will not get the better of him;the wicked will not oppress him.23.I will crush his foes before himand strike down his adversaries.24.My faithful love will be with him,and through my name his horn89:24 Horn here symbolizes strength. will be exalted.25.I will set his hand over the sea,his right hand over the rivers.26.He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,my God, the Rock my Savior.’27.And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,the most exalted of the kings of the earth.28.I will maintain my love to him forever,and my covenant with him will never fail.29.I will establish his line forever,his throne as long as the heavens endure.30.“If his sons forsake my lawand do not follow my statutes,31.if they violate my decreesand fail to keep my commands,32.I will punish their sin with the rod,their iniquity with flogging;33.but I will not take my love from him,nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.34.I will not violate my covenantor alter what my lips have uttered.35.Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—and I will not lie to David—36.that his line will continue foreverand his throne endure before me like the sun;37.it will be established forever like the moon,the faithful witness in the sky.”
1.Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted4:1 The Greek for tempted can also mean tested. by the devil. 2.After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3.The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”4.Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’4:4 Deut. 8:3”5.Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6.“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,and they will lift you up in their hands,so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’4:6 Psalm 91:11,12”7.Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’4:7 Deut. 6:16”8.Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9.“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”10.Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’4:10 Deut. 6:13”11.Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
1.Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled1:1 Or been surely believed among us, 2.just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3.With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4.so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.5.In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6.Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7.But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.8.Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9.he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10.And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.11.Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12.When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13.But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
7.Be still before the Lordand wait patiently for him;do not fret when people succeed in their ways,when they carry out their wicked schemes.
16.I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
3.I thank my God every time I remember you. 4.In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
3.We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
11.The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
11.From the east I summon a bird of prey;from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.What I have said, that I will bring about;what I have planned, that I will do.
About the Contributor
Louie Giglio is the Visionary Architect and Director of the Passion Movement, comprised of Passion Conferences, Passion City Church, Passion Publishing and sixstepsrecords, and the founder of Passion Institute. View more from the Contributor.
