But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.
- Isaiah 57:20
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
- Genesis 2:2
“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
- Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
“So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
- Hebrews 4:1-7
Boilerplate
I’m Harold Dykstra. I’m retired, but I go to food bank distributions all over Tracy and talk to people that need someone who will listen to their story. My time is well spent. A police lieutenant suggested that I write down the conversations that I had with an angel. I did not know she was an angel at the time. The angel, for a little over a year, indwelled a life-sized posable action figure my children bought me, so that I would not be perceived as travelling alone. And in a way, she was training me for what I do while talking to the needy. She probed my heart to find out what I believed and how I express love for others. She changed my life. Since she was a doll that had come to life, we came up with the term ‘other living.’ She was not a human, an animal, or even a plant, but she was definitely living, and very vibrant. Oh, excuse me, angels have no gender, but the angel indwelled a doll named Bountiful Babs. After seeing the angel in that form for over a year, I cannot see her in my mind in any other form.
This Week’s Question
In the last episode, Babs got frustrated with people having such a short attention span.
But this week, she was feeling good. She told me that she had checked the map. We were not travelling very far, and she wanted to drive. I knew that for most of the trip, it would be rural driving. So, why not?
Babs pulled out onto the interstate highway. She said, “Harold, you have been exhausted lately. Are you getting enough rest?”
I replied, “My mother would always say, ‘The wicked get no rest and the righteous don’t need it.’”
Babs huffed, “Is any of that biblical?”
I laughed, “The first part comes from Isaiah 57:20. The wicked are like the sea that tosses and turns and never gets any rest. The second part about the righteous not needing it was her excuse to drive us kids until we hated housework. We always did that kind of work after we had no energy left, and God says we should rest.”
Babs nodded, “Yes, God rested on the seventh day and that is the reason why we have the fourth Commandment which tells us to remember the sabbath day. Since I have been with you, we might drive on Sunday, but we always stop for a worship service. But lately, even with the resting days, you have been getting slower each day. Are you coming down with something?”
I shrugged, “Not that I know of. I take several medications. A few deal with high blood pressure. Maybe that is not under control or something. I’ll call the doctor’s office for an appointment. As I told you before this last trip started, the summer sales trip was always the shortest. I needed to have a vacation with the family when the children were home, even if we only visited relatives and stayed close-by. I then used that time for my wife to see doctors. Maybe it’s my turn.”
Babs smiled, “I will hold you to that. The office is open now. Give them a call.”
After I had an appointment set, she giggled. “I need you to stay healthy. If you can’t travel, I lose my job as a travel buddy.”
“But I could find something else for you to do.” I suggested.
“Oh!” Babs laughed. “You charmer. But I came here to be your travel buddy. I do not know exactly how it happened, but whoever is in charge may have other things for me to do. So, even if you pour on the charm, I am not able to say what I can or cannot do.”
I nodded, “So, I am seeing the doctor. I am getting some rest, right here while you drive. And I do not intend on retiring. Like you said, that is not up to me entirely. Others may want me retired, but last year and this year have been my best years ever. Why would they force me into retirement?”
Babs scrunched her nose, “I think they could find a reason. We can never trust people in this world. We need to only trust God.”
I nodded, “Yes, I have read Hebrews 4 many times. It talks of Sabbath Rest, but it also uses the language of entering God’s rest. Some will hear God’s words and never enter His rest, while others will hear His words and heed the message. It might just be like we did when you first appeared next to me in the car. We started going to church on Sunday. I always did when I was home, but taking that added time to be at rest, glorifying God, enjoying His presence. Our Bible studies are part of that rest. We are taking out time. We do not worry about making money for a while. We trust in God and spend time with God.”
Babs nodded, “And someday, Harold, you will go to be with God, forever. You need to be in good practice in that type of being in God’s rest. You will be in God’s presence forever, and loving and cherishing that time on earth is the start of it.”
I must have drifted off to sleep. The car came to a stop. I asked where we were.
Babs giggled, “Pull out your company credit card, Big Boy. We are at the hotel. They look at me funny when I tell them that I have a reservation for Harold Dykstra. And let our little discussion about rest be our Bible study today. You can go to bed early, right after we get back from the restaurant, and you get a tub bath instead of a shower. Once you get to sleep, I’ll turn my reading light on and read the Bible tonight. And tomorrow, I feel you might just have your best sales call of the year. How is that for a reward for your resting?”
I smiled, “Babs, I do not know how you do it, but your feelings have never failed us yet.”
Credits
All these conversations remind me of my conversations with my wife. We would talk about anything and everything. And most of the time, it sounded like a discussion in a Sunday school class.
Until the last few years when my wife was ill, she would drive some of the way, except when it was a business trip. I was the only driver covered by the company liability insurance. On vacation trips, I had to drive through congested areas, but she would laugh each time she got behind the wheel, and suddenly the clouds formed. I drove on dry pavement, and she had the rain.
And if my wife could not sleep, she would wait for me to go to sleep, which usually took some time, and then, she would get up and read.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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