Rest

 Our fast-paced culture is disturbing our rest. When we sit to relax and “rest” our minds we are often still consumed. Our minds trail off to the what-ifs, envy,  or confusion about where we are in our lives in comparison to the world around us. They are overtaken by the stressors of the things of the world. 

Even in our best attempts at rest, we are unable to because our minds are still moving a million miles an hour with no real rest at all. Even our rest today has become stressful, negating our ability to even consider our restful activities as true rest. When I think of rest I think of the ability to have peace and comfort in our present moment, even when we don’t have our lives figured out. And the good news for us is that we are actually not expected to have everything figured out in our lives, and ultimately I think it’s unachievable. 

We don’t have to contemplate if we are in the right spot in our lives and whether or not we should be somewhere else. We are called to rest, to have peace about the unknown, to sit with the Lord, and to thank him for his good news and the life we have. Scripture tells us that the spirit will advocate for what we need and our desires, and it does so in accordance with God’s will. So when we feel lost about where we are supposed to be we can remember the power of the spirit is within us He is constantly moving within us and for us. What the Lord desires most is You. Not your constant need for production and performance just you. To sit there with him to rest IN HIM. 

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

How relieving is it to know that all the Lord truly wants is our hearts and our time. We can have peace in knowing that the Lord is sovereign over all things and that we don’t have to act as though we are in control.  

Prayer…

Lord thank you for being a slow and patient God. Thank you for always working things out for our benefit even when we are undeserving. Thank you for being a source of peace and rest in this busy world.  Help us to experience the peace and rest you so freely give. Amen.