Entering His Rest
As you read the end of the book of Joshua, we learn that the Israelites had driven out the inhabitants from their promised land. The land was divided among the tribes of Israel, so that each tribe had their own lands to establish their people. Once again, God had fulfilled his covenant promise to Abraham’s seed. The people were now settled and no longer needed to fight for what God had promised them. They could rest in their land and have freedom and peace from their enemies.
“Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45). God looks forward to keeping his promises to us. Most times, God is waiting for us to move forward and do what he says. The generation of Israelites in the book of Joshua, did not make the same mistakes that their parents made. Their parents were too afraid to move forward to possess the land, when God told them that it was time. The result was that they died in the wilderness while their enemies lived in their land for another forty years.
We are grateful to God that he restores. So a missed, opportunity due to fear or lack of faith, will often present itself again. That is how faithful God is and he will create many opportunities for us to walk in his will. We sometimes miss out on the rest and peace of God through lack of faith. There are burdens that we have carried for longer than necessary, because we have not entrusted them to God. There are opportunities that we have missed out on, because we have chosen to take matters into our own hands. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
Our God is faithful despite our human failings and he is ready to forgive and to cleanse us from all disobedience (1 John 1:9). We can choose to start over at any time and once we submit ourselves to God, he makes all things new. “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:10).
A.P.-Y.
Published by Anneta Pinto-Young
I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession.
Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm.
I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing.
I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.
View all posts by Anneta Pinto-Young
Published
February 11, 2021
