Resting In Jesus In The Midst of Life’s Struggles

Resting in Jesus is not something that I’m very good at. If I’m not careful I can easily allow my perfectionist tendencies, determination, and anxious thoughts to take a toll on my mind and heart.

If you’re anything like me you’ve likely realized that when perfectionism and a strong will intertwine, it almost always results in a constant striving that was never meant to be.

A striving that leaves you exhausted, depleted, discouraged, and feeling defeated.

I remember reading the well-known story of Mary and Martha not all that long ago when a thought struck me… I am by nature a “Martha” through and through.

I can become so convinced that God is after my doing and serving that I completely forget that He is primarily after my heart.

Have you been there, Friend? Is this a struggle for you too?

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Resting In Jesus

I’d like to encourage you to search the Scriptures with me as we discover what it means to rest in Jesus in this crazy, fast paced, distracted world we’re living in. Let’s begin with the passage below.

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

3 Truths About Martha’s Inability to Rest in Jesus

Although we know that Martha genuinely loved Jesus and believed Him to be the long awaited Messiah (John 11:27) it’s obvious that she struggled to put her faith into action in the same way as her sister. The text clearly explains three possible reasons why.

1. She Was Distracted

Luke 10:40 says that “Martha was distracted with much serving” (emphasis mine). It’s interesting to note that in John 12:2 we find Martha serving again. It’s likely that she genuinely enjoyed being hospitable, and obviously serving in and of itself isn’t wrong by any means!

Serving is a beautiful example of Christ that we are called to imitate. However, when we allow it to become a distraction and pull us away from what is of utmost importance it is no longer a worthy pursuit.

There have been more times than I can count where I set off to serve with good intentions, but in the process allow distractions to shift my focus becoming overwhelmed, stressed, or even frustrated that my efforts aren’t more graciously accepted. (Welcome to motherhood, right?)

We are surrounded by an abundance of distractions nearly every moment of the day. These are rarely healthy and often string our minds along a rabbit trail that we have no business traveling. We are wasting precious time that we will never get back.

May we lay aside life’s distractions and pursue what truly matters.

2. She Was Focused on Her Circumstances

Verse 40 of Luke continues … “(Martha) went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” Although she may have joyfully welcomed Jesus into her home, her focus quickly shifted to her circumstances. This could be more clearly stated as: her focus shifted to herself and her limited ability to succeed in the way she had hoped.

When we allow ourselves to be consumed with our circumstances we inevitably open the door for disappointment. We are living in a broken world and can rest assured that our circumstances won’t always be favorable.

It isn’t until we begin to cast our gaze upon our Savior that we are able to view those trials and let-downs through a lens of joy, hope, and unexplainable peace.

3. She Was Anxious

Jesus’ response to her revealed that he was not on the throne of her heart. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary” (v 41).

I’ve learned in my own life that when we allow anxiety to creep into our hearts, there is no room left for Jesus. Anxiety distorts and suffocates the truth. Jesus is truth (John 14:6). They can’t both rule our hearts. It simply doesn’t work that way.

May we learn to fixate on the one thing that is necessary rather than the million others that aren’t.

3 Truths About Mary’s Ability to Rest in Jesus

So what was it about Mary that allowed her to lay aside life’s trials and distractions to fully surrender and rest in her Savior? Truthfully, I don’t entirely know.

The biblical texts don’t tell us exactly what was taking place inside of Mary’s heart. We’re not told the steps she took to arrive at this phase of her life. We don’t know much about her past. But for some reason the gospel writers saw fit to mention her. And they made a point to communicate her sincere devotion to Jesus.

John specifically chose to share one particular occasion where a simple dinner took an unexpected turn (which could possibly be the same event Luke retells in chapter 7 of his gospel)…

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.”
John 12:1-3

Mary’s actions seemed a bit absurd to those around her, but Jesus lovingly defended and graciously accepted her humble act. I do not know Mary’s reasons for anointing Jesus in the way she did. I do know, however, that such an extravagant gesture is driven by a heart of worship.

1. She Knew How To Trust- Resting In Jesus

I can’t help but think that Mary’s ability to rest in Jesus most likely stemmed from her ability to trust in Him. It is nearly impossible to truly rest in someone (or even something for that matter) that we don’t trust. The two go hand in hand.

If we take a moment to examine our own hearts on this one can we say that we’re genuinely trusting in Jesus?

Do we believe Him to be the all-powerful God of the universe capable of acting on our behalf? Do we trust that He can use our child’s disabilities for His glory and our good? That He is working behind the scenes of all of the chaos and pain in our world? Do we truly believe that He can restore a broken marriage or mend a strained relationship?

Are we faithfully praying for each of these?

2. She Was Focused on Her Savior

In two different passages of Scripture we find Mary at the feet of Christ (Luke 10:39 and John 12:3). This simple act revealed the amount of love and reverence she held for her Savior. Although there is great scholarly debate as to whether or not Mary and the “sinful woman” of Luke 7:36-50 are one in the same (my personal understanding is that they are) it is obvious that she understood the state of her sinful heart and the merciful response of her Savior.

Perhaps it is this very brokenness over her sin that propelled her to respond in such humility as she delighted to rest at the feet of her Lord.

Sweet Friend, are we truly broken over our sin? Do we realize that gravity of our thoughts, words, and actions and the holiness of our God?

3. She Chose the Good Portion

In verse 42 of Luke 10 Jesus specifically says that Mary “has chosen the good portion”- an idea that is also mentioned a few times in the Old Testament (Psalm 16:5, Psalm 73:26, Numbers 18:20, Lamentations 3:24, etc.) Those in attendance were likely familiar with the meaning of this phrase in the Biblical texts.

Mary had a singleness of heart. Her affections weren’t divided. She faithfully sought her Savior and kept Him at the center of it all. She chose and prioritized the “good portion”- the only thing that truly mattered.

What Does It Mean To Rest In Jesus?

We’ve looked at two examples of what resting in Jesus is and what it isn’t, but I think it’s helpful to also look at this in practical terms and how we can apply it to our own lives.

I’m always careful to say that the Bible is not about us. We shouldn’t devour God’s Word to see how it can benefit us. The Bible is primarily about a merciful Savior who lovingly stepped down to redeem a most undeserving people. However, it is about us, as believers, growing to become more like Jesus.

When we learn to fully rest in Him we become more like Him.

Biblical Success is Simply Obedience to God

I am blessed to have a beautiful friendship with my mom. It is often her kind words of encouragement that remind me of this truth when I began to lose focus and feel like a failure in my parenting efforts (or just in life in general).

God’s definition of success is very different from the world around us. His desire for us is to simply trust and obey (just like the old hymn says). Not to accomplish everything we set out to do or see the immediate fruits of our labor. This realization has a way of easing so many burdens we place upon ourselves that we were never meant to carry.

We Can Lay Our Burdens at Jesus’ Feet

I have no idea why we walk around carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders, but we do. As if somehow we are in control of it all and the fate of the world lies in our hands. Yes, there will be trials in life and yes, we may even struggle immensely at times (just as Christ said we would) but we were never meant to carry this heavy load in our own strength.

We are not our own savior and truly need to learn to lay our burdens at the foot of the cross and rest in the arms of Jesus. His grace is sufficient for us and His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9).

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

We Can Safely Trust in the Promises of God’s Word

We have something incredibly precious that the early believers (and sadly many persecuted Christians around the world today) lacked- God’s completed Word. The Bible is filled with reminders of God’s faithfulness and promises that we can rest in.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Be Still My Soul

I love how God so often uses His Word, our circumstances, or the words of others to drive home an important truth that we need to hear. I actually began writing this post a couple of months ago and then set it aside when I realized that I still truly had no idea how to find rest in Jesus.

Those of you who are familiar with my writing know that I don’t primarily write to share what I’ve mastered. I write to share of what God is teaching me through my struggles. I am in the throes of life’s difficulties just as you are.

Raising two incredibly sweet, but energetic and strong willed children (one of whom has multiple special needs) seems to leave all the time in the world for endless trials, and very little time for genuine rest.

It was in the midst of these past couple of months that I randomly picked up a book by Elisabeth Elliot that I had fully intended on reading months ago entitled Be Still My Soul … And wouldn’t you know it, the entire theme of the book is about learning to rest in Christ.

Just earlier this week I was excited to discover that author and artist Ruth Chou Simons now has a podcast! I again randomly clicked an episode to listen to while cooking dinner that evening which also happened to be about the necessity of resting in Christ.

I’m pretty sure that God has been trying to get my attention.

I still don’t have all the answers and believe this will be an area of continual growth for me, but I do know this: To rest in Jesus we must faithfully seek Him through prayer and time spent in His Word. And we must trust in His promises.

Let’s remember who we belong to and rest in His goodness, grace, and mercy.