I need Rest

The past several weeks have been even more of a whirlwind than I imagined they would be.  We moved our family into a new-to-us home, one that has been lacking tender care for quite some time.  The task of cleaning and repairing and unpacking and arranging looms quite large.  Sitting at our kitchen table early one morning, tiredness reigned in every fiber of my body.  Aching, physical tiredness.  But I felt something more, something deeper.  My husband and I had prayed about moving our family for well over a year.  We decided to follow God's leading and move away from the city into a surrounding county.  Closer to family, church family, into a community supportive of  home-educating and Godly pursuits.  Yes, we had dreams of what a new house would hold for us, but the appearance and amenities have always been secondary.  Where does God want to use us?  Where will He place us in order to grow our family in His knowledge and grace?  That morning, only a few mornings ago, seeing all the tangible work ahead of me needed to simply create a peaceful home for children and husband, my soul felt dry and depleted.  There was so much basic work required that thinking or planning anything deeper (sleepovers for my daughter, the upcoming school year, participating in church events) was unthinkable.

There is a mountain of work ahead of me, and I cannot fathom summoning the energy or strength I need.

I sipped my coffee and opened my Bible.  Joshua 1-3.  Halfway through I stopped after reading, "‘The Lord your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’" (Joshua 1:13 NASB) I re-read the whole verse, and then the preceding verses.  Joshua was giving instructions to the people of Israel as they were about to enter the land of Canaan.  God had promised them this would be their land, and yet, they were about to embark on a series of brutal battles.  They were clearly aware of the combative nature of  dwelling in the land.  But God had promised it to them, and He had couched His promise by reminding them He would give them rest.  And yet it struck me that their immediate future didn't hold rest at all.  There would be long days of battles and weary encampments.  But God would give them rest.  I wondered if any of the men hearing Joshua relay the words of the Lord felt as puzzled as I did.  Rest?  How?  Does God not see the huge task He has called to?  How is this rest?  How will this even lead to rest?  

I'm not sure I have been able to completely wrap my head around the dichotomy of those words and the task God requires of His before such rest is achieved.  (The ESV says  ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’)  Rest.  A place of rest.  God gives these to us, but between now and then He has given us much to do.  I struggle in my mind to make sense of this .  I want rest now.  I feel tired now.  
God does not operate on my timetable or my specific demands.  
He will give rest.  But He is not interested in making me complacent or lazy.  Rest would not be as sweet or needed without the work He has laid out beforehand.  The work would not be as necessary or fulfilling without His promise of rest.  

I need rest.  I am tired.  But, God has given me work.  Work that will accomplish His purposes and that will lead me directly to the place of rest He has prepared for me.  No other place would be as restful.  And no other place would I rather be.  

Lord, give me the strength to complete the tasks You have prepared for me so that the rest You have promised comes swiftly and sweetly.