I was recently reading a biography of a missionary who gave his life to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to several islands in the South Pacific that were home to many cannibal tribes. I was excited to see how the Lord delivered him, strengthened and emboldened him, and comforted him through many hard trials. And I found longings rising up in my heart, and the temptation to think that such a testimony was more special than what I could give in my life, today.

But the Lord used that experience to remind me of a very important truth: That the most important testimony I can give is not the one that I give with my lips to other men; but rather, the one that I give with my life, to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

“...The manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.” (Eph.3:10)

 We see from the earliest records in the Bible that Satan moves across the earth, seeking whom he can accuse (Job 1:6), and we also see that God seeks for men and women who live before His face — whom He can point out to Satan (Job 1:7) to rebut him, and to demonstrate the wisdom of God’s grand plan in creating man.

But even after knowing that, I find that it is still very easy to value the spoken testimony, more than glorifying the Lord with my life!

The Mark of a Life That Testifies

Whenever I think of glorifying God through my life, I’m reminded of Jesus Christ, whose life “explained the Father” (John 1:18). As we grow in Christ, we should increasingly look at Jesus’ life for that explanation, and not just His spoken words. For me, three moments in His life offer the same profound explanation of the Father — all different angles of the same brilliance — like a multifaceted diamond.

“And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep.” (Matt. 8:24)

“Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, ‘Hail, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him. And Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you have come for.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.” (Matt. 26:49-50)

“Pilate said to Jesus, ‘Where are You from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?’ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above...’” (John 19:9-11).

What I see in each of these three instances is that Jesus was at rest! He could sleep through a storm, because He trusted His Father. He could call Judas His ‘friend,’ because He saw that the cup came from His Father. He could stand up to earthly rulers, because He trusted in His Father’s supreme authority. The testimony of His life was a testimony of absolute “rest” in a loving, powerful heavenly Father!

And praise God, we can have that same testimony today. Even if no one on earth sees, and even if we do not utter a word (just like Jesus did not speak while He was asleep on the boat), yet our lives can be a testimony given to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places of the supreme trustworthiness of our Father in heaven.

How do we give that testimony? Amidst the storms we face, we lie down in the boat next to Jesus. The disciples, who didn’t have the Holy Spirit, couldn’t rest until the storm had passed; but we can rest with Jesus even before and through the storm. Amidst attacks from betrayers, like Jesus, we refuse to defend ourselves. The disciples, who didn’t have the Holy Spirit, couldn’t resist the temptation to fight; but we can entrust ourselves to God with Jesus while being wronged. Amidst challenges brought against us by higher authorities, we take comfort in God being the ultimate authority, just as Jesus did.

Many times over the Lord has been inviting me to “lay down in the boat with Jesus” while the storm beats against my little boat. Two things in particular that have challenged me are:

Rest Is Not Optional

“Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.” (Heb.4:1).

I must take all unrest very seriously. We heard recently in our church-meeting that all unrest is due to pride. So if ever we find ourselves without God’s rest, we must take it seriously, and ask the Lord for light on the pride that is keeping us from His rest. The Bible says, “Let us fear if we seem to have come short of it.” So we must take the smallest lack of rest seriously!

Rest Doesn’t Mean Laziness

I’ve noticed that my flesh will try to subtly twist the promised rest into meaning that I do nothing. That is false. Resting in Christ does not mean that we sit around doing nothing. Rather, it means that all our doing (as in the case of Jesus Himself), is supported by our Father’s everlasting love and care.

And during this time when God is inviting me into His rest, He has also been commanding me to be more diligent and to be more attentive, even in “trivial” matters like my secular work.

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,” (Col.3:23).

So I want to reject all false definitions of rest, and come to Jesus longing for the true rest that He has promised us. I want to refuse to be at unrest, and also to refuse any counterfeit “rest” that the enemy might offer me.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt.11:28-30).