To believe is to receive, and to receive is inherently an act of belief. So believing God brings us into his rest, and receiving from God brings us into his rest. And there is nothing more wonderful than being in the rest of God.— Joyce Meyer
A key ingredient to realising God's promises is rest and Hannah, whose story is told in the first chapter of 1 Samuel, offers us a powerful example. Hannah, one of two wives of Elkanah, faced the heartache of barrenness, compounded by the taunting of Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, who had children. Yet her fate turned when she learnt to rest in a hopeful expectation of a blessing.
Each year, when the family traveled to Shiloh to worship, Hannah’s grief would intensify. Despite her husband’s love, her sorrow over not having children was overwhelming. So she turned to God in heartfelt prayer, as we read in 1 Samuel 1:10: “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.”
This silent, yet intense prayer caught the attention of Eli, the priest, who initially misunderstood her distress. But when he realised her sincerity, he blessed her: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him”
(1 Samuel 1:17).
Hannah’s response to this blessing was immediate. She ate, and her face was no longer downcast (1 Samuel 1:18). This marks a significant turning point in her story—she moved from despair to trust, symbolised by her renewed ability to eat. This shift reflects her release of her anxieties into God’s hands, her faith in His provision, and her entry into His rest.
As Joyce Meyer aptly observes, believing God brings us into the wonderful place of rest in Him.
Rest is the fruit of trusting God’s faithfulness, as echoed in 1 Kings 8:56: “Praise the Lord who has given rest to His people Israel, just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises He gave through His servant Moses.”
(NLT)
To experience this rest, we must learn to commit our burdens to God and trust Him completely. Derek Prince uses a helpful banking analogy in his explanation of Psalm 37:5: “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”
Just as depositing money into a bank is a decisive act, committing our cares to God should be a singular, decisive action.
Trusting, on the other hand, is also a continuous attitude. After depositing your money in a good bank, you don’t constantly worry about it. You trust the bank to handle it. Similarly, we must trust God after committing our burdens to Him. The final step is God’s— He will do it .
If we can trust financial institutions with our money, how much more should we trust God with our lives and worries? In trusting God, we discover a peace that transcends human understanding (Philippians 4:7). This peace is the hallmark of true rest in God, as we let go of anxieties and hold fast to His promises, timing, and plan.