"Let us build up these towns," he said to Judah, "and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered." 2 Chronicles 14:6
Rest... ask most runners about that word and they might rank it up there with some other choice four letter words. Sure we know it's good for us. In fact, taking a rest day every week is highly recommended by most experts. But it's still hard for a lot of us to do. We just don't like to rest. If you're like me, you might feel like you're not accomplishing anything and that can surely cause some major unrest. By focusing on Christ during these periods though, we can be a stronger Christian athlete... spiritually and physically.
Asa, King of Judah (fifth king of the House of David), was described as doing "what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God." (V.2). He worked relentlessly to remove the idols and altars made to worship other gods and commanded the Kingdom of Judah to seek the Lord and to obey his laws and commands. You could probably surmise that he was a very busy man who probably did not find resting easy either. While there were battles during his reign, scripture tells us that he experienced great periods of peace. (v.6) He used those times of rest, not simply to be still and do nothing, but to prepare for times of trouble. This time of rest was his opportunity to "build up these towns and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars." In other words, he used this time of peace to fortify his stronghold before any attack and in preparation for any attack.
During our times of rest, it would do us good to prepare as well by strengthening our faith-so that when spiritual attacks come we will be ready. Rest can make us stronger if we use the time to seek the Lord. By reading and knowing the Word, we can be prepared to handle temptation before we are faced with it. And being ready for the battle is our best line of defense.
Heavenly Father, thank You for your word that gives us everything we need to grow as Christians and to become strong to fight as warriors. Help us to remember that there is a spiritual battle going on every day and we need to take time to rest in your presence so that you might renew our strength and fortify our defenses before trials come or temptation strikes. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org
In your presence - Jeremy Camp
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