Resting to Recognize God ’ s Work
Jordan Raynor
“ So that everyone he has made may know his work , he stops all people from their labor .” — Job 37:7
If you ’ ve ever lost your job , you may have found all sorts of people and institutions there to support you in your time of need . Maybe it was a family member who loaned you money , or a friend who helped you find a new position , or a government unemployment program that provided you with financial assistance . Whatever the case , you likely recognized that God was providing for your needs apart from your work — forcing you to “ know his work ” apart from your own .
This , Job 37:7 says , is one of the purposes of rest . God stops us from our labor “ so that everyone he has made may know his work .”
Sometimes this rest is forced on us ( as in the case of unemployment ). But of course , rest doesn ’ t have to be forced on us . One of the many benefits of voluntary rest is that it ’ s a means of reminding ourselves that God is God and we are not — that even if we cease to be productive , the world goes on without us . God ’ s work goes on without us . And in God ’ s grace , he sustains us .
18