Rest And Let God Handle The Rest, Evans Olang

Genesis 15:9-12, “And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away”

You and I know those times when we have so much to do and we want to do it all well. However hard we try, sometimes we just fall short. You look at how time ran fast only to find you accomplished little. You are left exhausted gasping for strength and some headache. The best cure at this point is not medicine; the cure you need is rest.

In Genesis 15:1 the Lord appears to Abram in a vision and His words to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward“. In one line He gave him one instruction and two promises. In other words, do not be afraid if you do not finish all you needed to do, don’t feel bad that you failed to accomplish it, why? because I am your shield. Believe it or not, no one understands REST like God. He created the earth in 6 days and on the 7th day He rested. His word to Abram was to some how say, “I am your shield, protecting you from all that make you exhausted, bring fatigue, those things that appear to be like headache because I have called you into rest.” God also tells him that He is Abram’s exceedingly great reward, which I would interpret, this way, God gives you the ability to do something and then there are those times He takes over. He rewards those who diligently seek Him. We do the best we can with the help of God, we leave the rest to Him to handle as we go to rest.

God asked Abram to prepare a sacrifice, 3 year old heifer, ram, goat, then with turtle dove and young pigeon. After he cut and prepared the sacrifices, no fire yet, Genesis 15:11, says “the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away”. For a whole day, he was fighting, chasing the vultures from devouring the sacrifice. You too will find that when you offer yourself to God for service, what happens? vultures of fear, frustrations, anxieties, confusion, and anger try to come in and for the whole day, all you do is trying to chase them away to protect what you are offering to God. Romans 12:1, “Brethren I beseech you by the mercies of God that you present yourself a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable which is your reasonable service“. The moment you surrender yourself as a sacrifice, all hell breaks loose, however do not be afraid, you are in His will.

When you have done all you can, the Lord takes over and gives you rest in the spirit, body, soul, and mind. Vs. 12, “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram“. You cannot sleep when you are troubled. Those who are troubled toss back and forth on their beds worrying, fighting vultures. Sleep through it, rest while He takes care of the rest. While Abram was deep asleep horror and great darkness fell upon him, the Lord already told him not to be afraid, He was in control of the vision, the present and the future. He then spoke to him in a dream of his future. Remember the Lord said to him from the beginning, “I am your shield“. And while he was asleep, vs., “17 …when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces”. If he was a sleep, how come the vultures did not devour the sacrifice? the Lord protected the sacrifice. When you have done your best, close out everything, and commend the rest to God and go to sleep, relax, and gain your strength back. Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Therefore rest and let God handle your rest and the rest that you need to do. Blessings Ev