At times when I’m totally stressed, the Lord brings me back to the subject of rest. Today, I remind myself what he has shown me and taught me, in seasons when it has seemed most impossible to believe. Specifically:

Our Lord has designed rest as a place to live, and as a pause we regularly take. We enjoy either aspect of rest only as we learn to embrace both.

Rest encompasses what refreshes, spirit, soul and body. It includes stillness that emanates from the peace of God within. And it includes movement – an extravagant assortment of breath-filled acts that delight the Lord and truly rejuvenate us.

Much that is in us and around us fights relentlessly against rest. We may think that’s a modern problem. It’s not. It’s a human problem.

Real rest

Knowing us better than we know ourselves, Jesus cries to us in Matthew 11:28-29 (MSG):

Come to Me.
Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.
I’ll show you how to take a real rest.
Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

Our Lord promises us real rest. That includes times of moving, walking, working, and times of being still.

He tells us the key: “Come to Me.” That’s not a once-and-done thing. It’s an in-the-moment thing. It’s pressing in again and again to know Christ.

He tells us the result: “You’ll recover your life.”

David the shepherd-king testified: It’s true!

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake. (Ps. 23:2-3)

And thus, using images of pastures and paths, David also juxtaposed the two sides of rest. He showed the rhythm into which our Lord invites us: an unforced pattern of stillness and movement, and the grace to navigate both without hurry or stress.

Stillness. As we come to the Lord our Shepherd, he teaches us to make time to rest. In him, we lie in green pastures. We relax beside calm waters. Contrary to everything that insists otherwise, we cooperate with God each time he calls us to stop and be still.

Movement. As we come to the Lord our Shepherd, he teaches us to walk and work from a place of rest. Anchored in rest, we go where he goes. We do what he says. We walk right paths with him, thus highly honoring his name.

Restoration. Right there, nestled between the stillness of the green pastures and the movement of the right paths are the words: He refreshes my soul. Or, in other translations: “He restores my strength” (NET). “He keeps me alive” (CEB). “He turns back my being” (ISR98). “He restores my soul” (NAS).

Soul-clamor

Our high-speed, high-stress culture constantly shouts, “Rest? It’s impossible! And useless! And bad!” Sadly, those lies may seem all too true, especially when our soul is trying to take the lead, rather than falling in line with our Spirit-led spirit. Believing the lies, we can be pulled in all directions by a cacophony of demands. We can be driven by a relentless, strident beat.

In Hebrews 3, God describes his exasperation with his people long ago who believed their soul-clamor, rather than him.

The Holy Spirit says,

I was provoked, oh, so provoked! I said, “They’ll never keep their minds on God; they refuse to walk down my road.” Exasperated, I vowed, “They’ll never get where they’re going, never be able to sit down and rest.” They never got there because they never listened, never believed. (vv. 10-11, 19 MSG)

Today, the Spirit of Christ cries to us: “Do not be like them! Come to me. Listen to me. Believe me.”

As we come to him, and come to him, and come to him, our Lord shows us: “Rest? It restores.” He teaches us a new rhythm that calms our life down and turns it around – an unforced rhythm that brings our soul back from the exhaustion where frenzy and fear have kept it.

Heartcry

Each time the Lord Jesus reminds me of his invitation and his promises, I have a choice. My heartcry is for grace to trust him; with my lips and my life, to affirm to him:

When I feel trapped in nonstop busyness or frantic unrest, I will seek you until you make a way out. I’ll give you permission to expose, and to free me from, any root issues in my heart that may keep me in such a vise.

Spirit-to-spirit, I will cooperate with you to learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

You let me “rest in grassy meadows.” You lead me “to restful waters.” I will learn not to resist, but to rejoice in, these God-planned interludes. I’ll learn to practice Sabbath rest.

You guide me “in proper paths for the sake of [your] good name.” I will learn to follow – spirit, soul and body. I’ll learn to walk and work from a place of rest.

As I embrace your rhythms of stillness and movement, you renew my strength, refresh my soul.

You keep me alive.

You restore the “me” you’ve designed me to be. And, wonder of wonders, my life greatly honors you.

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Adapted from Return to Your Rest: A Spirit-to-spirit Journey, © 2016, 2019. The quotes from Psalm 23 under the heading, “Heartcry,” are from New Living Translation.

Image by Yves Bernardi from Pixabay

Posts in the Song of Rest series

• Psalm 23: Song of rest
• I shall not want: Resting in God’s provision
• He restores my soul: Resting in God’s unforced rhythms
• I will fear no evil: Resting in God’s very present help
• My cup overflows: Resting in God’s favor
• Now and forever: Resting in God’s love

See also

• I AM the one you seek
• Restoration
• The blessing of the Lord
• The blessing of rest
• Time out – God’s call to rest
• When I worry, God doesn’t shame me
• Humble your soul, release your spirit