I found the following in my journal, though I do not remember writing it. “The how of this day has been replaced by the Who of this day. I don’t have to worry about how or what will happen during this day. To abide in Christ is to dwell in the Sovereignty of the Holy Spirit. The Sabbath-rest is a Who, not a how.”
Galatians 3:11-12 says, “Clearly, no one is justified before God by the law because, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ The law is not based on faith.”
Your faith is in God. It is in the Father who chose to save your soul, His Son who sacrificed His life to fulfill His Father’s plan, and the Holy Spirit who dwells with you now for protection and peace until you get to heaven. This is all your faith knows. This gift of faith has enabled you to believe in the Son, who revealed His Father to you, and sent His Spirit.
Without faith, the Who of your life gets replaced by how. I am not referring to unbelievers here. I am speaking about those who have faith but do not live by faith. When the righteous do not live by faith, their Who gets replaced by a how— “How will I pay this bill?” “How will this day go?” “How will I handle this pressure?” “How will I fit all that I must do into this day?” This is equivalent to returning to the law and allowing it to be your master. When you were under the law, it placed demands upon you and forced you to consider how to carry those burdens. But Jesus said,
Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matt 11:28-30.
Within His invitation is a promise of rest for those who respond. This passage reveals the activity of the law—to burden you so heavily with demands that you could not meet, and sins you could not overcome—that the gospel of Jesus Christ could be planted without you hardening your heart. God used the how of the law to lead you toward the Who of eternal life, and of daily life.
Most Christians don’t even think to connect their Savior with their car problems. Subconsciously, they do not believe that Almighty God pays bills or cares about your demanding schedule. He is a big God who deals with life and death matters, not traffic tickets or anger issues. But I beg to differ! That is EXACTLY what Jesus was referring to when He said that He would give us rest. If we are willing to take His yoke upon us—to praise Him, pray to Him, and surrender our days and our plans, He will take care of it all, bringing order to your day, and glory to Himself along the way. Your strength is in His glory. I am not suggesting that your problems will disappear. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” But He also followed that statement with, “But take heart, I have overcome the world.” In Him you have freedom, peace, and joy. Apart from Him, you will not.
I know this isn’t easy—trusting the Lord. It begins easily because we have faith. We know He hears us, so we trust Him through prayer. But then comes the still part…the wait patiently part. Not easy! Here come the thoughts! Worry, anxiety, urgency, doubt… Amid this pressure we are supposed to…wait? …to be still? In my mind, those words are translated “…Rejoice!” “…Sing!” because I want to drown out the enemy’s lies while I wait on the Lord. And let us not forget, the Lord wants to teach you and build you up anytime you trust in Him. He rewards trust. He will not make you wait forever, or forsake you. He is with you, in all His glory. Always.
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