Last year, I had the privilege of caring for a friend in Colorado who was dying from leukemia. After being away from my husband for two weeks, I returned home for a week and then left again for four weeks. The second time I left, he lightheartedly told our friends that I was going on another “deployment.” It really was sort of a deployment. I didn’t know what each day would bring and whether those I’d meet would be friends or foes of Christ. Sometimes I wasn’t certain where I’d lay my head that night. I thought of deployed soldiers who face similar challenges.
Following Jesus means deployment. It means saying, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And in following Him, we might not enjoy the security of knowing what our day will bring or the surety of physical rest in our own bed. But following Jesus does give us rest from trying to earn our own salvation. Jesus didn’t repose until He had secured that eternal rest for us. Then, once and for all, He “sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12) to intercede for us forever!