Rest On Me

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV is a fairly well-known passage. It says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

All morning, I have been singing the song “Rest On Us,” which various artists have made popular. I listen to this version below most often, but there are plenty of other covers you can listen to.

I put the link to the video below because I think it can be a powerful part of our devotional time, but it needs some explaining. I have always sung this song with faith, knowing that God loves to come to meet us with his presence as we pray and worship. I certainly believe that God is always with us, but the language of resting on us helps me position myself before the Lord with a single desire for communion. God will reveal his glory to those who seek him.

I believe this firmly, and we even lead this song regularly with People of Freedom, but Paul’s message in 2 Corinthians transformed the meaning of this song today.

We all desire for the power of God to rest on us, but Paul shows us that the doorway to living under glory is boasting in our weakness. In our inability to have power, the power of God is made most perfect in us.

What if we have been singing worship songs about receiving power, but what we mean is that we want a feeling, breakthrough, or healing and want to leave with no strings attached.

When we sing “come rest on us,” do we mean, “come let your power rest on me as I boast in my weakness,” or, “come let me feel the glory that I’m missing out on.”

Paul moved into a revelation of God’s power that we can learn today. To ask for power from God cannot be separated from boasting in weakness. God is not interested in puffing up our attempts at human strength; he is interested in something much more glorious. He wants to make you and me vessels of his divine power. And this comes through abiding.

There is much more to this conversation, but I want you to seek God on your own now. Even if you are at work or going through your day, let this be a seed and contemplate what it means to live with the power of God resting on you.

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