Have you ever noticed that God seldom describes or discloses what He is doing? What is always clear is what He wants us to do.
In Psalm 127:2, Solomon writes that God “gives to his beloved in his sleep.” (NASB) These words are in contrast to our building what God isn’t building, guarding what God isn’t guarding and taking what God isn’t giving to us (verses 1-2). In other words, when we are doing everything, God may in fact be doing nothing. Yet when we are doing nothing, like sleeping, God may in fact be doing everything.
In Mark 4:27, Jesus tells a parable describing the kingdom of God as “if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” (ESV) What is God doing? Growing His kingdom. How? In ways we “know(s) not how.” We scatter, we work, and we then lay down and sleep. The part that we can’t do, God does when we’re doing nothing. Apart from sowing there is only waiting and trusting.
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites us to “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Our part is to work, but it is also to receive rest from Jesus.
Sleeping, waiting, trusting, resting. These things are, honestly, more difficult than waking up, working hard, and making “good” things happens. Still, what happens if we don’t get enough sleep in a night? Naturally, we will have less energy and strength to get our work done the following day. Sleep makes effort possible. Sleep reminds us we are not self-sufficient nor self-sustaining. Sooner or later I need sleep and rest, because without it I will become weak and useless. But sleep also reminds me on a deeper level that I need grace and I cannot ignore that either. We were created to sleep, in the same way we were created to rest and trust in God’s grace.
Grace makes effort possible. Grace means you couldn’t, but Jesus could. Grace means you can’t, but Jesus can. The point between laying down my efforts and lifting up my burdens is what I call “The Grace Point”. It is the lowest point you can go as a man, yet the highest point you can go in God. It is the point of rest, of trust, of surrender, of doing nothing, and therefore, of doing everything in order to receive the grace of God.
You cannot go deeper in God than your willingness to lay down your efforts as the source of your accomplishments. And you cannot go higher in God than your willingness to lift up your burdens as the confession of your trust.
A sure sign you are relying more and more upon your own effort and/or trusting more and more in your own control is that:
- you are spiritually forgetting more and more about the cross
- you are spiritually depressed, losing hope, joy, peace, etc
- you are spiritually frequently sick, meaning you are quicker to fight with others, to hold on to grudges, bitterness, and anger, etc.
- you are becoming spiritually prone to doing things you never did before, like mocking other Christians, ignoring spiritual disciplines, separating yourself from your church, etc
In the end, grace makes effort possible, but equally important is that grace brings rest from our effort and in our effort.
When I feel I am doing everything, God may in fact be doing nothing. When I feel I am doing nothing, God may in fact be doing everything. It’s not about me and my efforts; it’s all about trusting in His grace.
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