On Soul Rest: A Guided Reflection
In these summer days, many of us are brought into a time of rest. After a long winter, it feels like summer is the refreshment and vitamin D everyone needs. But what does it look like to truly rest and rest well? Maybe you’re asking, “Rest well—what do you mean?”
In Scripture, rest is tied to keeping the Sabbath. Let’s read a little bit about this from Exodus 20:8-11 (MSG):
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
What does this mean for us? The God that created the universe and created us to rest. We were made to work most of the days of the week, but the seventh day was created for rest.
Our weeks can feel continuous and stressful, which means we are not taking the time to rest. It is easy to go with the pace of the world and go straight from work to more work at home or to look for rest in unhealthy or unhelpful ways. What if there was a way to find a soul rest—a refreshing that our hearts long for?
An Age of Unrest
In this day and age, rest is looked down upon. Workaholics are celebrated, and even when we want to, it can be extremely difficult to unplug with our screens continually reminding us of the work awaiting us.
Even downtime gets taken up by our reflex to check the phone. I’d argue that the face-to-face time we spend with our phones is greater than the time we spend in a relationship with God—in prayer or in simple communication with him. Maybe this sounds foreign to you, but this is like any relationship. He wants to hear your voice; he wants to just be with you and comfort you.
A Guided Reflection
Below are some Bible passages to help guide you in some reflections on rest. Read these slowly and allow the questions to give you a greater awareness of what rest looks like for you.
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. “
Currently, what feels like a burden? From what are you longing to have rest?
Close your eyes and imagine being truly at rest. Where do you find yourself? What does it sound like? What are the smells, tastes, views? Write it down or take note of it.
If this place you imagined is unattainable, what would it look like to create a similar environment for you to rest?
So often, we imagine rest to look like a place or say, “Once I am _____, I will feel at rest.” The reality is that while we live on earth, we are going to have burdens, but it is how you are carrying them that changes things.
Who is carrying that weight? What would it look like to give the weight you are carrying to Jesus? What would he say about this weight?
Circumstances can change, and stressors come and go. What does it look like to be in the present moment caring for what is needed for today?
Matthew 6:34
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
What anxieties are you facing recently?
What areas do you want to trust God, but are having a hard time trusting him?
Rest can be very difficult when we are faced with burdens, anxieties, and stressors of the day. But take heart; He has overcome the world (John 16:33). He wants to give you a soul rest, and he wants to begin by bringing to your awareness the things that are pulling at your heart.
After understanding what has been burdening you, bring these to the feet of Jesus in prayer. He wants to hear your concerns and commit them to Him. Instead of ruminating on these anxious thoughts, bring them to Jesus whenever they come to mind. Replace them with a verse on rest or one of the verses above.
Lastly, find a way you can enjoy Him. Enjoy creation: go for a hike, watch the waves, read to your child, laugh, eat good food. These were all things that God created for us to enjoy! This is all part of rest, so enjoy them and the creator who created them.
A Song for Your Reflection
As with the last blog, I added a song that may bless you as you think on this theme of rest: Come and Rest | Mission House. It has blessed my heart immensely, and I hope it does the same for you.