November 15

But the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, because the waters were still covering the surface of all the earth. So he reached out his hand and brought her back inside the ark. — Gen 8:9 BSB

What a restless creature a tempted child of God can be! Often, they are unable to sit still, unable to rest quietly by the fire. Like Noah’s dove, they can find no rest for their feet amid the wreckage of a ruined world. It was said of prisoners during the French Revolution, awaiting their trial in the dungeons, that some spent nearly all their time pacing back and forth. In the same way, under trials and temptations, we may find ourselves pacing around as if trying to distract our minds with movement or rushing outside to pour out our hearts in sighs and groans. The restless mind works itself into the body.

But just as we can’t find physical rest, neither can we find spiritual rest. We can’t rest in our own righteousness, in a sound creed, in a form of godliness, in human opinions, or in anything rooted in the creature. There is always some uneasiness in ourselves or in whatever ground we try to rest upon. It’s either filled with thorns and briers or strewn with sharp, jagged rocks. And yet, without these restless feelings, how many of God’s people might settle down short of the true rest of the gospel? Some might settle into false religion, others into the world. Some would turn their own righteousness into an idol, and others, like the foolish virgins, would sleep contentedly while their lamps burn out.

But those restless, painful exercises—where the life and grace of God are present—keep the soul from settling in anything but the rest God provides. "There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God" (Hebrews 4:9). That rest is Christ—His blood, righteousness, love, and grace.