THE PLACE WHERE REST IS FOUND
[p. 195] THE PLACE WHERE REST IS FOUND
With the blessed Lord in His circumstances and in His service here there was but little rest. As to His circumstances He had “not where to lay his head”; and as to His service, “the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done” had rejected Him. But He finds a place of rest and retirement from all the circumstances of the scene around, and from all His service. He retires into the secret joy of that blessed relationship which subsisted between Himself and the Father. He retires into the secret joys of that which He knew, a relationship outside this world altogether and in that circle of divine affection the secret of which none knew but Himself.
Now having that rest in His own soul it is so touching to see how He turns round to those who love Him. They were devoted in service, but they had not got His rest. They found great difficulties and opposition, and were under the pressure of them. It is really to the devoted servant, and not to the wretched sinner, that the invitation is addressed to “Come”. ‘I want you to come from all the difficulty and pressure of things here into the secrets of that out-of-the-world relationship and joy in which I am with the Father’. I call attention to it for I believe if we learn it as individuals it is in connection with the assembly. We are to be apart from all the circumstances of this world, from everything connected with this scene, and to be brought into that circle of divine affection where the Son is with the Father.
Beloved brethren, are we prepared to go in for it? You may say, ‘Does it cost anything to get it’? Yes, it costs a [p. 196] great deal. You cannot have it unless you are a “babe”; that is, you must be prepared to surrender all your self-importance and self-consideration (these things are hindrances) and to be nothing and a nobody in this world, nothing to yourself or anybody else. How can any of us come to be babes? I only know one crucible in which all the naughty pride of our hearts can be melted and that is the crucible of divine love. It is only there we can learn to be babes, people of no importance in our own eyes or in other people’s eyes, to be unknown in this world. If you are content to be a nobody in this world, you can be a companion of Christ in the circle of the Father’s love.
In Luke 10:21 it says, “In the same hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit”. Do you know what made Him rejoice? It was to have a few babes to whom the secrets of the Father’s love could be made known. I like to think of that blessed One rejoicing in spirit, rejoicing to have a few “babes” — a few nobodies in this world — around Him! May we know better what a wonderful privilege it is!