Menkato V Awomi
Dimapur
For ages, we’ve heard it declared from pulpits and read it in Scripture that God is rich in mercy and full of compassion. These are not poetic exaggerations or theological jargon; they are eternal truths about God’s nature. It was out of this boundless compassion that He gave His very best: His own Son, Jesus Christ. As John 3:16 testifies, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” This act of divine mercy and love is the cornerstone of the Christian faith.
Yet, despite the consistency of this truth, many in our churches today live far from its reality. The revelation that God is merciful, compassionate, and full of grace has not fully translated into experience. People hear about it, even quote it, but do not live from it. Why is that?
Perhaps it’s due to ignorance, people simply haven’t been taught the full truth of God’s character and His finished work. Or perhaps it’s a result of intentional religious systems that, consciously or unconsciously, keep people under bondage to works-based thinking, withholding the liberating truth of grace. Either way, the outcome is the same: a generation of believers striving to earn what God has already given, burdened under the weight of performance rather than resting in the promise.
Hebrews 4:3 tells us, “And yet His works have been finished since the creation of the world.” This verse is not vague or symbolic, it is a declaration. The work necessary for our salvation, for our healing, for our reconciliation with God was completed before we were ever born. The crucified and resurrected Christ stands as the evidence of that completion.
The Struggle to Rest
Still, many believers live in anxiety, guilt, and fear, trying to “get right with God” through behavior and human effort. They work harder, pray more, give more, serve more but often with a mindset that says, “Maybe then God will be pleased with me.”
This is not rest. This is religion. And it is exhausting.
The truth is that God’s desire is not for His children to strive but to trust. He wants us to enter His rest, a rest that doesn’t mean inactivity, but rather a posture of confident trust in what God has already done. It’s doing what we are called to do, with a heart anchored in the assurance that God is at work on our behalf.
But this rest is elusive to many. And the primary reason for this, according to Hebrews 4, is unbelief. Not moral failure. Not lack of effort. But unbelief.
A Lesson from the Wilderness
Let us look back to one of the clearest biblical illustrations of this principle: the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Mount Sinai.
In Exodus 12, God delivers His people out of slavery in Egypt with great signs and wonders. For approximately three months, the Israelites journeyed to mount Sinai. During that time, they were far from perfect. They grumbled about food, water, and leadership. They even voiced their desire to return to Egypt. Yet, despite all this rebellion, not one of them died during that leg of the journey. Why?
Because they were under grace. God dealt with them in mercy.
But something dramatic changed at Mount Sinai. When the people heard God’s voice and saw His glory on the mountain, they responded with boldness, saying, “All that the Lord commands, we will do” (Exodus 19:8). It sounded noble, but it revealed something dangerous: they shifted their relationship with God from one based on mercy to one based on merit.
They wanted to be judged according to their obedience and holiness. Since people opted for their own obedience and holiness to receive from God, God set boundaries between Him and the people of Israel. God said since I am Holy and you are not, don’t come near this mountain, even the animals that comes near the mountain should be stoned to death. You see? Before Mount Sinai God never had this tone but the people choose God to bless them based on their behavior.
And God gave them the Law.
And what followed? Judgment. The moment the covenant of law was established, they broke it by creating the golden calf. And that day, 3,000 people died (Exodus 32:28). What changed? It wasn’t God. It was man’s posture.
They moved from trusting in God’s mercy to boasting in their own obedience. And that has been humanity’s pattern ever since.
Earning vs. Receiving
From the fall in Eden to modern Christianity, mankind has struggled with the same issue: trying to earn what God has already provided. The flesh loves to boast. It wants a hand in its own salvation. It wants to say, “I prayed enough,” or “I fasted enough,” or “I gave enough,” as if these are bargaining chips with God.
But Isaiah 64:6 says “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” God is not impressed by human effort. He is pleased by faith.
Meanwhile, the cross of Christ stands as God’s eternal shout: “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Jesus bore our sins, our shame, our sickness, and the full wrath of God. There is nothing left for us to add to it. And yet many believers act as though the sacrifice of Christ was insufficient, living in guilt and fear, trying to win what has already been freely given.
That’s not faith. That’s unbelief.
The Call to Rest
Hebrews 4:1 warns, “God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.” The only fear the New Testament tells us to have is the fear of not entering into God’s rest. Not because it’s hard to enter, but because it’s easy to miss, not through sin, but through unbelief.
Think of this illustration: Suppose you are on a leave from work, and you assign your responsibilities to a trusted colleague. If you truly believe in their ability, you’ll enjoy your day off. You’ll rest. But if you doubt their capability, your mind will be restless all day, worrying about the unfinished tasks. You might be off the job, but you’re not at rest.
This is exactly how many Christians live today. Outwardly, they say they believe in Jesus. Inwardly, they doubt His ability to finish what He started. And so they worry, strive, and burn out.
But God is not glorified by our worry. He is glorified by our trust.
When We Rest, God Works
The Bible repeatedly tells us that “the battle belongs to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:15), and that we are to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” When we take a posture of rest, trusting in God’s ability, not ours, He moves on our behalf. But when we insist on working in our own strength, God steps back. Not out of spite, but because He will not share His glory with man.
There is divine cooperation between human responsibility and God’s sovereignty. We do what we are called to do, walk in obedience, steward our gifts, speak truth, love others, but the results, the breakthroughs, the outcomes? Those are God’s. That’s where we rest.
God’s Desire for You
God’s will for your life is not a treadmill of performance but a life of peace rooted in trust. He wants you to know, deeply, experientially—that His mercy is not theoretical. His compassion is not abstract. His grace is not limited.
He is for you. He has forgiven you. He is with you. And He is inviting you, today, to enter His rest.
Because when you rest, God works.
But when you work to earn His love, God rests.
