JESUS was able to sleep in a boat during a storm, but his disciples found it astounding that he could sleep so soundly when there was a tempest.
Divine insight BY HUMPHREY MTANDWA
When he woke up, Jesus, however, rebuked the storm and immediately the storm stopped. When you find it difficult to sleep because of challenging times, it means you don’t have authority to change that situation. How many sleepless nights have you had because of a challenging situation, but have woken up with the problem still not solved? 1 Peter 5:7 says: “Casting all your cares upon him; for he careth for you.”
The hardest thing is to believe God has a plan for you when you are going through trying times.
I remember one time during my morning devotions when I began to talk to a woman who was going through a difficult time. She had loans and bills that were overwhelming her. She felt trapped and was ready to even give up. As I began to talk to her, I pointed out that if she would allow herself to observe the Sabbath, her problems would be solved.
After God had created the world, on the seventh day He rested from His works. The Sabbath is a symbol of rest and to observe the Sabbath is to acknowledge that all you will ever need was already created for you and finished with on that seventh day. But when we observe the Sabbath in the New Testament, it’s not about honouring a day, but acknowledging by faith that in Christ we have found rest. Hebrews 4:9-11 (NKJV): “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”
That’s why later when God created Eve, He took her from inside Adam. Everything you need is inside of you. The challenge of not observing the Sabbath is that it stops you from allowing God to take Eve from you. For God to take Adam’s rib to create Eve, Adam had to be sleeping. The place of rest is where your creative potentials are unlocked. Anxiety and worry force out your ability to properly process the situation so you can formulate the right plan. Many people in anger have made so many bad decisions and later regret and ask themselves what had come over them to act in such a way.
Remember I said any storm you cannot sleep through is a storm you don’t have power to rebuke. Look around you and see all those situations that have stolen your peace and made you lose rest and tell the situation it had authority over you because you did not observe the Sabbath, but from today, you will not lose rest over you again. God had to make Adam rest and we fight this rest at times because man does not know how to let go. I am not saying give up, I am saying release it to God because He said we are to cast our cares on Him. I love what the late Kenneth E Hagin once said: “If I am woken up to the news that the church is burning I will go back to sleep knowing if God let it burn He has a plan and resources to build another one.”
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After I had finished teaching the woman about the Sabbath, she began to wisely apply herself in her business and was able to begin to make part payments to cover the loans. Her business began to grow because she was no longer anxious.
As Zimbabwe is going through a birthing process, those that observe the Sabbath will see opportunities and allow God to help them formulate ideas that will give them advantage over others. The Sabbath is a symbol of worship to those who have entered into the rest and fully realised God has provided for all they will ever need. You enter into this Sabbath by accepting Jesus as your Lord and giving yourself to his work and purpose because in that work he allows you to have peace and rest. God bless you!
Humphrey Mtandwa is the founder of Voice of Triumph in Harare. He has written several books including The Enoch Generation, Truthfulness and Theophany. He blogs at mtandwa.blogspot.com
