Rebecca Anderson, July 10-11

Recently I’ve been thinking about the concept of rest—well, mostly about the fact that I don’t do a whole lot of resting. While spending time outside in my garden on sunny days provides a good change of pace, I’ve discovered that it doesn’t do for my soul what actual rest can do. Rest…the stopping of work or activity…is perhaps something we do well on vacation but don’t do well in our daily lives. Many of us may have even given up on the idea of building rest and quiet into our schedules; it’s pretty easy to stay busy, and we may even feel more comfortable with busyness and noise. And yet, I feel the tug of the Spirit in my heart, inviting me to experience rest.

Jesus Himself often withdrew to quiet places to connect with His Father and to pray. He either needed the rest and time alone with His Father, and/or He wanted it. Regardless, He was getting something that He wasn’t getting anywhere else in the world. I believe that Jesus LOVED His times alone praying, and that’s why He went away often. They were times of renewal and strengthening for Him.

Recently I came across a great promise in Isaiah 63 about rest: They were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord. The concept that rest is given to us—not necessarily something I can work toward or accomplish—has been refreshing to me. It’s a gift––a gift that we need to choose to receive more often.

In about nine weeks Salem Alliance and our city will be given a place of rest, a quiet place to pull away from a challenging and dark world and receive peace and hope from Jesus Himself. This will be a place where people will be refreshed and transformed as they draw near to God and receive from His limitless resources of love, joy and strength. We’re calling it The Upper Room.

Jesus had to get away in order to find a place to rest; He made the choice to prioritize it over other good activities. Just as Jesus was strengthened by times of rest, we too can anticipate receiving from Him as we accept the gift of rest. In this way, the gift of rest becomes a resource. The Upper Room becomes a resource for our church and our city. We hope you will help make it a well-used resource.

Rebecca grew up in Tacoma, WA, and first came to Salem to attend Willamette University. After graduating with a degree in Japanese Studies, she lived in Japan for two years before God called her to return to Salem and Salem Alliance. She then followed God’s call into ministry and joined the Salem Alliance staff in 2007.