Under the towering heights of Cambridge University in 1580, residents could sometimes hear the early morning faintness of four footsteps and three voices. Newly elected professor, John Bois, had in the same year contracted the smallpox virus and was frequently carried to his office in the throws of blankets by two well-respected tutors.¹ Faithful men as they were, the common thought among us all is to ask why in the world Mr. Bois would not just resign himself to the comfort of a warm bed and a cup of hot tea. Had he chosen to stay home in the midst of illness or trial, surely no one would have thought him the lesser.

Truth be told, there are still men like Bois in our midst today. Over the past year, I've counted it a privilege to know and cherish some dear brothers in Christ who drive from home to home and church to church in an effort to build up other believers in the faith. Still others I've learned will read Scriptures deep into the night while standing up in order to keep themselves awake. Perhaps with such a vast population, these men and women are not so obvious, but there are many who labor in Christ without rest at the risk of their own health.

Be that as it may, not all of us are so tireless in our studies or our efforts to teach. Some of us maintain the necessities of a challenging family life or work between two and three jobs just to maintain the mortgage. Quite often, the echoes of a modern Bois can be found in the sound of early morning shovels hitting the pavement after a blizzard. Whether we're rearing our children, stacking chairs in an auditorium, or laying concrete and building shelves, the nature of "burning the midnight oil" is to work at the expense of our rest. And for whatever reasons compel us, it is true that many would be willing in the midst of illness to have a dear friend carry them to work if it meant that they could continue their labor to its necessary end.

To a few (and perhaps even an unexpected many), the reverse is true. For while they will indeed labor diligently, they also recognize what it means to find rest. After many discussions and endless reading, I've sometimes found myself nestled in the softness of my wife's touch wondering why I don't embrace those moments more frequently. For it is in those moments that I find myself saying, "I'm tired. I've said all I can say. I've done all I can do. I've pondered over all I can read. No more. It's time to rest." And no matter how often I disappear into an office of diligence, her loving and equally diligent arms are always there.

When faced with the unlikely possibility of finding land, Noah sent out a raven and a dove that they might survey the earth as far as their wings could carry them.

"But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters [were] on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark." Genesis 8:9

For the precious dove that flew endlessly over the waters with no hope in sight and "no rest for the sole of her foot," there was one place that she knew was safe. There was just one place she knew would welcome her home. And when she returned to Noah after her tiring journey, his hand was stretched out, he took her weary body, and lovingly pulled her "in unto him" where she could rest.

The King eternal and Lord God Almighty stepped out into the world of man's shame and offered a voice of hope (Genesis 3:8-9). He extended patience and tolerance, expressed his deep mercy, proved that He was slow to anger, and gave the gift of His glorious grace. Yet, in the midst of all this, our human tendency is to set up a wall of doubt. Is there really "rest" in such a powerful God and King? How can I really trust in His amazing grace?

To those who are weary, to those who labor, to those who face the night as though it were still day, to those who never stop... may you know that His extended hand always offers rest. Though you may not pause in this life without the straps of an ambulance gurney, His rest is nevertheless yours to apprehend. I hope and pray this study leads you to a peace that passeth all.