The Labor of Faith and the Rest of Assurance

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.”
— Hebrews 4:9–10

Imagine a hiker traversing a steep mountain path. With every step, the trail grows more grueling, and exhaustion sets in. But just as the journey seems unbearable, the hiker reaches a clearing—an open field filled with sunlight and fresh air, a place to rest. This moment of peace doesn't negate the effort it took to get there, but it transforms the journey, reminding the hiker that the labor was leading to something greater.

This is the paradox of faith described by Miles Stanford in The Green Letters: the labor of entering rest. While it may seem contradictory, the spiritual life often requires the diligent pursuit of truths that lead us to a place of rest in God. The struggle to trust and believe is not in vain—it’s part of the process through which God anchors our hearts in His promises.

Laboring to Rest

Hebrews 4:11 urges us to be diligent to enter God’s rest. This diligence isn't about striving in self-effort but about persevering in faith, even when our experience doesn’t yet match the promises of God. The labor is to believe when doubt whispers, to return to His Word when our feelings falter, and to declare His truth even when circumstances seem unchanged.

Stanford compares this to learning a new language. At first, the foreign words feel impossible to grasp, and progress seems slow. But with persistent engagement, what was once incomprehensible becomes second nature. Similarly, as we labor to rest in God’s promises, there comes a moment when His truth takes hold of us. Faith transitions from effort to assurance, and rest replaces striving.

Resting in Christ

The rest of faith is not passivity—it’s a confident reliance on what God has already accomplished through Christ. Romans 6:6 reminds us that our old self was crucified with Him, freeing us from sin’s dominion. Galatians 2:20 declares that the life we now live is Christ’s life in us. These truths are not earned; they are received by faith.

Resting in Christ means trusting that He is both the source and sustainer of our spiritual growth. It means yielding to His work within us and relying on His Spirit to produce the fruit of righteousness. As Stanford writes, “Once in possession of a truth, we are to rest—He will produce.”

A Prayer of Confidence in God’s Rest

Father,
Thank You for inviting us into Your rest through Christ. We trust that what You have accomplished is enough, and we declare that we are crucified with Christ and alive to You. As we journey through the labor of faith, we rest in the assurance that Your Spirit is at work within us, transforming our hearts and lives. May our lives flow from the stillness of resting in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Final Thought

True spiritual activity arises from rest. As we learn to labor in faith, we discover that the work has already been completed in Christ. Let us step forward with confidence, resting in His sufficiency and trusting in His perfect provision.

Adapted from insights in The Green Letters: Principles of Spiritual Growth by Miles J. Stanford.