Resting in His Working
True rest comes not from stopping work, but from letting Jesus be the One working within.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above – Rest Via Struggle
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Hard as it may be for a believer to rest in the certainty of salvation, the greater challenge often comes in learning to rest in Jesus for life and service. Many approach the Christian journey with the assumption that their responsibility is to accomplish God’s will through personal determination and discipline. Yet, as the devotional points out, the real breakthrough often comes only after painful seasons of failure. These failures open the door to a deeper understanding: that rest in God is not inactivity, but the cessation of self-effort and the full surrender of faith to His working within.
This rest is often misunderstood. Some see it as a retreat into passivity, a withdrawal from responsibility, or an excuse to disengage from spiritual battles. But God’s rest is the opposite. It is the highest form of activity, rooted not in self-reliance but in the reality that God Himself works in us to will and to act according to His good pleasure. True rest means allowing Him to be the source and sustainer of every thought, action, and response.
Today’s devotional from Miles Stanford also reminds us that Jesus is not only living in us, but is the central focus and driving motive of our lives. The law no longer serves as our rule of life. Instead, the Person of Jesus becomes the center of our affections and the source of our actions. This changes everything: our life is no longer about self-effort but about living from the life of Another.
When we take His yoke and learn from Him, we discover a rest for our souls that no striving can produce. This rest empowers rather than disables. It brings a lightness to service, because it flows from His indwelling life rather than our weary attempts to measure up. The result is a life of quiet power, steady fruitfulness, and joy in knowing that the Lord Himself is doing the work in and through us.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I live in you, not as a distant observer, but as your very life. You are not called to strive for My approval or to generate your own strength. I work in you both to will and to do according to My good pleasure. When you cease from your own works, you enter into Mine, and in that place you find rest.
Rest in Me does not mean passivity. It means movement empowered by My life. As you yield to Me, I accomplish what I desire through you. My yoke is easy and My burden is light, because I bear the weight. Your part is to remain in Me and to trust My working.
The center of your life is no longer the law, performance, or self-justification. Your life is now centered on Me, the One who loved you and gave Myself for you. From this union flows the desire, direction, and power to walk in the good works I prepared in advance for you to do.
Keep your eyes on Me, for I am your rest and your resource. Yield your will, and you will find your steps guided. Offer your hands, and you will find your labor fruitful. Trust My presence within you, and you will see that what I begin, I always bring to completion.
Scripture References: Philippians 2:13, Colossians 1:29, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 11:28–29, John 15:5, Hebrews 4:9–10, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 1:6
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine setting down a heavy grocery bag that has been cutting into your hand. The moment you release it, the strain eases, and your step feels lighter. You are still walking to the same destination, but without the burden that was slowing you down. That is what happens when you let go of self-effort and trust the Lord’s life in you to do the work.
Today, when you sense the weight of pressure, obligation, or performance, pause. Release it into His hands. You might simply say, “Lord, I trust You to be the One who works in me and through me right now.” In that yielding, you will find rest replacing strain, and His life flowing into the task at hand.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that Your rest is not inactivity, but the fullness of Your life working in me. You have freed me from the burden of self-effort and have become my very source. I praise You that I no longer live for my own purposes, but from the life You have given me. Today I walk in confidence that You are guiding my steps, supplying my strength, and producing Your fruit in me. My heart is at rest because I know You are faithful to complete what You have begun.