Rest Through Dependence

When God made you in his image, he made you to enjoy a life of abundance and good work. But when God made you in his image, he also made you dependent. He made you in such a way that you cannot flourish apart from him.

The temptation to live independent of God is a subtle one—especially for people who are busy doing good things. In our good desire to serve, we can sometimes minister out of our own strength, neglecting basic necessities of rest, prayer, meditation, and worship. We become so busy trying to produce fruit that we don’t even realize that we’ve been cut off from God’s means of grace.

Even though the temptation to live independent of God may be subtle, the results are not. Like a branch cut from the vine, you will quickly begin to wither—your leaves will turn brown, your flowers fade, and your fruit falter. But even here, humility restores us. Even here humility brings rest.

As you acknowledge your helplessness, as you acknowledge that apart from him you can do nothing, as you draw life from the True Vine, you will flourish once again. And here, in confessing your dependence, you will experience the rest that will come when he supplies all your need.

Hannah Anderson lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She is the author of Made for More and Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul (Moody). You can find more of her writing at sometimesalight.com, hear her on the weekly podcast Persuasion, or follow her on Twitter @sometimesalight.