“Your rest is not to be found in figuring your life out, but in trusting the One who has it all figured out for your good and his glory.”

Desire to Know and Understand
All human beings have a nagging desire to know and understand.  We all want to know what’s around the corner.  My 4 year old son asks often “What are we doing tomorrow?” and my retired father often wonders “How long am I going to have good health?”   No matter where you are on the spectrum of life or what season you find yourself in, we all want to know, to figure it out, and to have all the answers. 

We are all meaning makers, philosophers, theologians, and control freaks.   We all attempt to dig and mine the information of our lives and our story in hopes of understanding the larger picture of civilization.  As a pastor, most of the questions and counseling I encounter are birthed from the exhaustion of attempting to “figure it all out” or the cynical resignation that life will only be secure and my heart will only be full, if I fact I discover “the entire picture”.  We are tempted to have a unified theory of everything concerning our lives.

An Ever-Present Fog
The reality is that even in our most brilliant moments, those will still be shrouded in mystery.   In life there exists an ever-present fog; the only change is the thickness of it.   Our search to know all through this fog leads to exhaustion, resignation, and cynicism: not the life or freedom we hope for.

True Rest
Therefore, true rest will never be found in our understanding to know it all or our ability to peer through life’s fog.  Rest does not come from fixing or controlling an outcome but surrendering to the only One who is constant and in control.  Our hearts don’t need more information to live fully, but a deeper rest in this Person.   

That’s where the Psalms speak so powerfully of God “heming us in”, “being aquainted with all our ways”, and “being a fortress” and “refuge of strength.”   When life brings things that you wish you could fully understand, but can’t comprehend; turn to the One who has provided rest, proven his faithfulness, and works for our good.   It’s seen in His Word and apparent in our world.  

Brandon Addison

photo credit: Brad Montgomery via Flickr (license)