By Ps Alby Yip
I find it uncannily funny, or perhaps divinely coincidental that I should be resuming full duties after a “year of rest” when somehow the pastoral team and session have designated this year as a Year of Rest. So should I rest or should I “chiong” since I’ve “rested” 😊
Yes, I have a year of rest to ponder over and practice rest. But to be honest, I have struggled greatly to find and learn rest in the first few months. After all, I have been actively at the forefront of work and ministry from home to office relentlessly for the last 30 years.
I trust some of you are like me. Much as you know you need adequate rest or even pick up an exercise, somehow rest seems elusive or even impossible. I suspect this is true for those who have relentless work, family and financial commitments.
In reality, most working class do not have the luxury of planning our calendars and timetables. Most people’ lives and time are dictated and demanded by the tyranny of the urgent, important and necessary. “Rest” may even have disappeared from our life’s rhythm.
Perhaps that is why many people crashed (which can manifest in many ways). I did (you can speak to me personally to know more). We all know we need rest. But what is rest? Even the busiest person gets to rest and sleep (or plain knocked out?). But is that what rest means?
Is rest simply a cessation of activities? The Bible talks about rest directly and indirectly in a few places. Again, it is divinely coincidental that we are covering the passages in our Samuel sermon series these two weeks.
The word “presence” was mentioned five times always in relation to the Lord. In particular, 1:22 and 2:21 say Samuel is to or is in the “presence of the Lord”. Notice that Samuel was still a boy then. Notice that Samuel only heard from God only in chapter 3.
Most importantly, notice that Samuel, notwithstanding his young age, was placed on 24-hour standby shift (maybe bullied by Hophni and Phinehas and the “old birds”?). That was why he went to Eli thinking that Eli called him to maybe get a glass of water or something.
In a sense, Samuel was already caught in the web of the tyranny of the urgent, important and necessary. But perhaps in his tender and yet unadulterated heart, the work may be menial, servile and demanding, but he knows he was serving God, even when it was “in the presence of Eli” (2:11; 3:1)
Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite priest who too was assigned to menial, servile and seemingly humiliating tasks wrote a small booklet The Practice of the Presence of God. He explains that deep communion with God is not reserved for formal prayer or religious settings.
The presence of God can be practiced at every moment—while cooking, cleaning, or performing ordinary tasks—by speaking to God lovingly and turning one’s heart toward Him with trust and simplicity. Could that be the rest that we need in our life’s rhythms?
Perhaps we should make it a point to sing the nursery song once in a while. With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm! I have faced a fierce storm in the year past. I must confess that I was overwhelmed at the beginning.
But as I learn to be still, to practice the presence of God, no, the storm didn’t subside. The reality didn’t change. But I changed because I was changed. My heartfelt thanks to the pastors, staff, leaders and members of the church who have magnanimously blessed me with the time and space.
I am fully cognizant that many of you can ill afford or would never have such luxury. Hence, besides thanking you all, I commit also myself in this next season to give of my best to the Gospel and to you all in Zion Bishan, and where God calls, to His wider Kingdom—with proper rest and the practice of the presence of God. I invite you to the same too.
