The story of Harry Colcord
Labouring to enter into His rest.
Hebrews 4:9 tells us, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” This isn’t talking about a Sunday afternoon LLD (little lie down), a beach holiday, or even a few quiet minutes with a brew, though those are all good. The rest God promises is something much deeper. It’s a peace that settles in your soul, no matter what’s happening around you. It’s the kind of calm that comes when you finally realize: God has already finished the work, and I can trust Him.
But then just two verses later, Hebrews 4:11 says, “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest.” Doesn’t that sound like a contradiction? How can rest require labour? The point isn’t that we have to wear ourselves out to “earn” rest—it’s that real rest takes faith, and faith takes effort. Not effort to make things happen, but effort to keep trusting God when everything around us is screaming the opposite. It’s the daily choice to believe His Word over our feelings, fears, and circumstances.
That’s why Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Faith isn’t just a one-off decision—it’s something we grow in as we keep close to God’s Word and let it shape how we think. And honestly, that’s the “labour” of faith: replacing worry with His promises, swapping out doubt for trust, and reminding ourselves again and again that God really is faithful.
Let me paint a picture for you. I recently heard the story of Charles Blondin. It provides a perfect illustration of what labouring to enter into rest means. Charles Blondin was a famous tightrope walker who famously crossed Niagara Falls in 1859…walking on a tightrope with no safety harness. Crowds would gather in awe as he balanced and made his way across with nothing but a pole in his hands. One day, Blondin asked for volunteers to carry across on his back. Now, the crowd believed Blondin could do it. They had seen his skill, and he had proven he could do it many times…alone. But none of them trusted him enough to let him carry them…. except for Harry Colcord, Blondin’s manager. Harry had to do more than believe with his head. He had to rest his entire weight, his very life, on Blondin. He couldn’t shift around or try to balance himself. His only “labour” was to stay still and trust.
That’s the picture of what Hebrews is teaching us. Faith is not just nodding in agreement that God can do something. Faith is climbing on His back, so to speak, and resting the full weight of your life on His Word. It’s saying, “Lord, I’m not going to try to steady this myself—I’m trusting You completely.”
Compare that with the world’s advice: “Just believe in yourself and the universe will reward you.” It sounds nice, but it leaves you as your own foundation—and we all know how shaky that can be. The Bible shows us something better. We don’t believe to make something true; we believe because it is already true. God’s Word is truth (John 17:17) and His promises are already settled (Psalm 119:89). Faith is simply choosing to stand on what He’s already declared.
So when Hebrews says to “labour to enter rest,” it’s not about striving harder—it’s about guarding our hearts against unbelief. It’s about feeding on God’s Word daily and saying, “I trust what He has spoken more than what I see with my eyes.” And here’s the beauty: when we do that, the result isn’t burnout…it’s breakthrough. That’s when we step into the kind of supernatural rest that carries us through every season of life, confident that His Word is true, His grace is enough, and His promises never fail.
BTW, in case you were wondering, Blondin and Harry made it across!
