Tag Archives: finding rest

September 22, 2025 · 5:52 AM

Relief From Exhaustion

Have you ever felt exhausted? Where it’s not just physical exhaustion, but mental, emotional and spiritual exhaustion too? It happens to all of us. Sometimes you’re so depleted that it can be hard to rest. You’ve got so much going on that your mind keeps going to prevent you from getting the rest you need. This weekend was one of those times for me. The things to get done were important and necessary. There were heavy problems to solve as well as lots of spiritual guidance that took a lot out of me. It’s moments like these that draw me deeper into prayer because I recognize my need for true rest and peace.

In 1Kings 18, we read one of the most incredible stories in the Bible where Elijah stands on Mount Carmel and calls down fire from Heaven. The next day, Jezebel says she going to kill him. In 1 Kings 19 he flees for his life to south Israel. He’s physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually exhausted. He tells the Lord he’s had enough and is ready to die. However, God doesn’t grant his request. Instead He provides food, drink and rest. Instead of rebuking him for running and hiding, God cares for him. What was a moment of exhaustion became a moment of transformation. What he thought was the end became an encounter with God.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (NLT). Just like He cared for Elijah, He will care for you. He understands exhaustion because He became human. He also understands the need for true rest, and that is what Je offers to you. Instead of running away, run to Him. He will encounter you in your moments of exhaustion. He will transform us when we lay down our burdens and worries, pick up His yoke and learn from Him. You won’t be condemned for reaching this point. You’ll be received with open arms, given what you need to sustain you and find the rest for your exhausted soul.

Photo by Soroush Karimi on Unsplash

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August 30, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Finding God’s Rest

In Genesis 8, Noah let a dove fly away from the Ark. Verse 9 says that the dove didn’t find a place to rest, so it returned to the Ark. You and I are a lot like that dove. We often leave the place God has for us in search of something more or better, but it eludes us. We need to be as wise as this dove and return the the place of refuge God has for us. He alone is where we will find rest for our mind, our body and our soul. All throughout the Bible He let His people know that they can find rest in Him. If you’ve been searching for rest, be still, know that He is God and He gives rest to the weary.

Here are some Bible verses on finding God’s rest:

1. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will find them a place to rest. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

Ezekiel 34:15 GNT

2. And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Exodus 33:14 ESV

3. Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the roads and look; ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is; then walk in it, And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’”

Jeremiah 6:16 AMP

4. Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalms 91:1 NLT

5. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:29 ESV

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

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January 24, 2023 · 5:39 AM

Psalm 23

If you’re like me, you memorized Psalm 23 as a kid and have been quoting it since. I’m all for memorizing Bible verses and teaching them to children. However, sometimes we can lose the significance of passages when we’ve read them or heard them so many times. Even though I’ve read the Bible through several times, one of the things I do is pray before reading. I ask God to help me see it with fresh eyes, to open my mind to understand it and to give me revelation knowledge of it. I don’t want to skip through stories or chapters just because I know what happens or can recite from memory. On those especially, I take my time pouring over every word and digging through it using commentary tools as well as original language meanings.

Psalm 23 starts with, “The Lord is my shepherd.” First of all, this is a declarative statement. He’s not just saying it. He’s confessing it and making a statement. The Lord IS my shepherd. It’s not might be or could be. Then he personalizes it. The Lord is MY shepherd. Our mind likes to tell us that God cares for everyone but us. That’s a lie! He is your personal shepherd who knows your personal needs and takes care of them so that you shall not want. Quit skipping out on asking God to meet your needs because there are so many others who have more important or desperate needs. He is YOUR shepherd and is able to shepherd others as well as you on a personal level. Their needs are no more difficult to answer to Him than yours. There aren’t levels of needs to Him, but there are different levels of faith and trust in Him as your shepherd.

The next verse says that He makes me lie down in green pastures. God knows you need rest at times because you’re always on the go. He wants to lead us to a peaceful place to just be. It’s a place where you put down the facade and the mask. You don’t have to be “on” all the time. He instituted the Sabbath for a reason. Since we ignore it, He is still trying to shepherd us to rest because our shepherd knows we need it. He also tries to lead us to still waters. These waters are a place of refreshing. He understands that we need to experience times of refreshing. We try to say we don’t deserve it or we have too much to do to stop and be refreshed, but your shepherd created you and knows what you need. Quit fighting Him and let Him lead you. Quit making excuses and trust Him. When you do, He’ll restore your soul, guide you through the darkest places, prepare a table for you and anoint you so that goodness and mercy will be with you all the days of your life. It all starts with declaring and letting Him be your shepherd.

Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash

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September 12, 2017 · 5:26 AM

Homesick


Have you ever been homesick? Or maybe you’ve been traveling or have been out and about, and just wanted to get home. Home is where we relax, unwind, and rid ourselves of our cares. It’s where we dress down and are our most true selves. It’s the place that smells the most familiar to us, and it’s where we truly rest. They even say that home is where the heart is. I think Dorthy had it right, there’s no place like home!

I recently went through “How’s Your Soul?” by Judah Smith. One of his first points is that while we are good at having that place called home for ourselves, our soul is looking for home as well. When God created man, he was loveless until God breathed into his nostrils. Judah says that our soul is really borrowed breath from God, and that it finds its home when we use that breath to praise God. That’s why worshiping God makes our soul feel the way it does. It’s when our soul gets to be home.

Think about David for a minute. He was chased by Saul for years. He lived in caves in one of the most inhospitable places on earth. If you’ve read the Psalms, you know that man was homesick both physically and spiritually. He longed for the courts of the Lord as much as he longed for being home. He even said that it was better to spend one day in God’s house than thousands elsewhere (Psalm 84:10). Why? Because that’s where his soul was at home. Even if he couldn’t physically be home, he wanted to have his soul at home.

I believe all of us are the same way. Our soul longs to be home. I think we misinterpret the signals inside a lot of times, especially if our soul has never been home. In Psalm 90:1, David wrote, “Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!” (NLT) If your soul is homesick, God is where you’ll find the peace you’re looking for. In Him is where you will find your truest self, and that place where you can rest. You don’t have to be homesick anymore. Spend time with God worshipping Him and loving Him today and let your soul be at home.

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