Scripture Reading: Isaiah 40:28-31, Psalm 23:1-6, Matthew 11:25-30, Mark 6:30-31, Revelation 14:13
New York has been known for decades as “the city that never sleeps.” Twenty-four-hour diners, cafes, and bodegas are commonplace. At any hour of the night, I can walk down to my corner bodega and order a bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll, and no one would even bat an eye at the time. Sometimes I see this as a luxury—I can have anything! At any time! But other times, I realize that it’s no wonder we’re all so exhausted all the time. New Yorkers just don’t get much sleep, and we hardly ever truly rest.
Whether you live in the city that never sleeps, a sweet, sleepy suburb, or somewhere in between, rest can be hard to come by. In a culture where who you are is so often seen as dependent on what you do, we often run ourselves ragged trying to prove that we’re good enough. We push and push and push, striving for the next paycheck, the next promotion, or the next benchmark of what we think our lives should look like. When someone asks us how we’re doing, we say, “Busy, but good!” Busyness is seen as a sort of badge of honor. Add in holiday craziness to already jam-packed schedules and by January 1, we’re walking around with dazed looks on our faces, unsure what day of the week it is.
Our culture might promote this hustle lifestyle, but Christ calls us to a different way of living. He calls us to true rest.
But the beauty of this rest is that it’s not something that we have to strive for. We’re not working for the weekends when it comes to the rest that Christ offers. Jesus says in Matthew 11, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” All we have to do to get this rest is simply come to Him. He gives us this rest because He is the rest for our souls. We find true rest when we find ourselves rooted and established in him.
The rest provided to us in Christ gives us cause for joy, for celebration. We find joy in Christ’s rest because we finally can lay down the burdens we’ve been carrying and delight in His presence. We can dwell with Him in the house of the Lord. No more striving, no more running ourselves ragged. When we slow down and bask in his presence, we find that true rest isn’t dependent on our performance or persistence at all. It’s only dependent on the person of Jesus Christ. All we have to do is sit with Him.
Written by Ellen Taylor
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58 thoughts on "Joy Through Rest"
How often do we read through something and not even digest it because we know it “so well”? I read , and then re-read Psalm 23… TWICE! (After the first reading of it today, I thought, “Adrienne, what did you even read?”)
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I think it all goes back to the busyness aspect. (I have a pin saved on a Pinterest board that reminds me to stop glorifying “busy”! I’ll post it on our Facebook page.)
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This translation says He LETS me lie down in green pastures. A different one says that he MAKES me lie down. Sometimes I feel like He has to MAKE me. I need to change my attitude and LET Him.
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I am surprised that Mary and Martha were not in today’s reading. I am SUCH a Martha and wish I were more like Mary. I have a book by Joanna Weaver, called “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.” Guess I should go re-read that too, huh?
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Wait… don’t answer that.
The Pharisees “RESTED” in their knowledge of the law. Jesus wants us to REST in our knowledge/relationship with Him. The Law could not save the Pharisees, and neither it nor good deeds will save us. There is only one SAVIOR and that is Jesus. I believe the rest He is referring to is the security/trust in the fact that we don’t have to work out our own salvation. I like how Warren Wiersbe states this:
“The Lord’s Invitation
Matt. 11:28
Jesus said, “Come” (11:28). The Pharisees all said “Do!” and tried to make the people follow Moses and the traditions. But true salvation is found only in a person, Jesus Christ. To come to Him means to trust Him. This invitation is open to those who are exhausted and burdened down. That is exactly how the people felt under the yoke of pharisaical legalism (23:4; Acts 15:10).
Jesus said, “Take” (11:29). This is a deeper experience. When we come to Christ by faith, He gives us rest. When we take His yoke and learn, we find rest, that deeper rest of surrender and obedience. The first is “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1); the second is the peace of God (Phil. 4:6–8). To “take a yoke” in that day meant to become a disciple. When we submit to Christ, we are yoked to Him. The word “easy” means “well-fitting”; Jesus has just the yoke that is tailor-made for our lives and needs. The burden of doing His will is not a heavy one (1 John 5:3).
Jesus said, “Learn from Me” (11:29). The first two commands represent a crisis as we come and yield to Christ, but this step is a process. As we learn more about Him, we find a deeper peace because we trust Him more. Life is simplified and unified around the person of Christ. This invitation is for all—not just the people of Israel (10:5, 6).”
Copyright © 2021 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
GM!
Psalm 23 is well known verses, and there are two current songs out that I love that sing it out!
Phil Wickham- Psalm 23
Riley Clemmons- Still Waters
Both are lovely!
I am not a “burn the candle at both ends” kinda gal–I move at a slower pace naturally I suppose. In the rearing kids season I only had one, easy boy. And although I did have my own business for 8 years that was definitely hard, I still loved it and wasn’t too spent. But here’s the thing (Tina’s phrasing!), no matter our lifestyle, we have to find rest in the Lord, making time to be with him, walking with him throughout the day, hand and hand. I put a lot of time into my physical body over the years, not a maniac, but a good 3 times a week for most of my adult life. So I often say I wish I would have put that much effort into my spiritual body as well. The triceps sag regardless, the tush spreads, and the lower tummy gets flabbier, it’s a given. So although it’s good to take care of your body and keep your flexibility and strength, you can only fight aging in so many ways. BUT GOD- He is our source of LIFE, everything! Why don’t we feel that NEED, our living water??! Why is it we go to him when we are exhausted and depleted? I wish I would have built my relationship with the Lord in my 20’s, it would have given my soul rest from so much misery- self inflicted. But after a couple of decades of reliance on self, I finally started opening my Bible, found SRT, and it is life-changing! I truly have rest in the Lord this Christmas. No tree, no decorations, no business, no distractions. Just the Christian Christmas tunes playing and thanking God for his gift, his beautiful gift to me.
I pray each of you find rest in him in this advent season! Don’t get to caught up in the “to do’s” that you exhaust yourself. Simple is good for the children. They will never be satisfied gift wise, so might as well not try in my experience. Teach them it’s in the giving, not receiving. How many are left with a too low banking account afterwards? I pray we find ways to rectify these wayward ways America has gone to give our children everything they put on that list!! Do they have a list for giving? A card, a picture drawing, a note of love for their teacher or grandparent? It’s never too late to flip it around! Let’s be intentional with HOW we do Christmas, maybe even take notes of what mattered and what didn’t to read next year before Advent? Just some thoughts! Sorry to go on!! Good conversation though for our FB page?!
Entering into God’s rest is hard! We have such a “accomplishment” mindset! I’ve had to learn to really sit and be still with God to be able to enter into His rest! But Psalms 23:3 lets us know that when we do, “He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
It is in the rest, that we are restored and can follow Him.
Praying for all. BARB in Wisconsin. Rhonda and all the caregivers, moms of all the prodigals, mom’s, busy working women, s as bd all the rest. May you find time to sit still before the Lord! Even if it is in the bathroom for 5 minutes! I did do this many times as a mom and working. Would offer up a prayer and just have some peace and quiet!!
Have a v blessed day!
Jesus be my rest!
I wrote a post commenting on today’s scripture – and then it was gone! So I’ll just say…
When it comes to “slowing down and basking in his presence” – I have lots of work to do on this!
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My life is filled with busyness, I’m always doing and going and crossing off everything on my (very long) list!
I’m more of a Martha than a Mary and that’s something I really need to work on!
Rest is important – it’s vital, not only to our physical well being, but to our spiritual as well!
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Lord, help me to slow down today, to stop and bask in your presence, to rest and get restored.
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…I haven’t read all the comments yet because I have to run out the door (see – I’m not resting, but running!!) but will come back later to read them and pray for your requests.
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Have a blessed Thursday sweet sisters!
Same, Sharon. I commented on Mary and Martha also before I even read your post. ❤️
I often will look up the meaning of a word and today I looked up “rest.” I was looking for a Hebrew meaning and one noted, “rest is not so much as sleeping or reading a good book, but a “settling in.” Trusting . Secure. Drawing near. Something to ponder. Have a blessed day!!!
Oh that’s a GOOD definition of rest! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for that, Dawn. Maybe I rest more than I think I do. Heeheehee!
I love the permission to rest. To quiet ourselves. To just sit with the Christmas tree lights on, with soft instrumental Christmas songs playing, drinking my favorite coffee concoction. Just sitting. Allowing my heart to wonder about the wonder of Jesus’s birth. Rest. We all so need it. I’ve often asked, “Where in the bible does it say we will be rewarded for our busyness?”. I can’t find it. I can’t imagine Jesus hurrying around, snapping His fingers trying to get everyone moving. As I’ve slowed down, I’ve enjoying the process of things more, enjoyed the journey not just the end goal. Rest = Peace.
So. Good!
All we have to do is sit with Him. I imagine all-of-us She’s around the world whether early morning hours or evening, gather with coffee in hand or tea, “reading-the-WORD-together” and it brings me great JOY! Even if I didn’t get good sleep, I can’t wait to sit with my JESUS and spend time with HIM. AND with all of you! “Quiet-time” is my favorite and most IMPORTANT part of my day. Its when I read, cry, pray, listen, confess and confess some more knowing MY JESUS loves me and you very much and longs for us to spend time with Him. My time with JESUS IS my lifeline. Can’t start my day without spending time with HIM! AND when I have, my day is MISSING something. AND of course we need physical rest which is hard to do! TOMORROW is my last day before a two-week Christmas break (the world calls it Winter break). Trusting my Jesus to provide and looking-forward to much needed physical rest. Funny….the music teacher and I were talking what we’re going to do and I said, “rest and run”. We laughed, but its true. I want to sleep in (which is normally 7am) and go running which I enjoy so much! LOVE YOU ALL my sweet SRT sisters!
Beautiful! Your joy overflows in the Lord!
We were reading at the same time as usual this morning! :)
I remember those days when I worked for the school system and got a real Christmas Vacation. I envy you!! Enjoy the time God has given you!!!
I am taking a more restful Christmas this year. Buying candy instead of baking cookies. Decorating less. My kids have not complained. We are going through stressful times with our daughter. And my soul appreciates just lighting the advent candles and reading the bible aloud to trying to cram in one more Christmas movie or event. I feel closer to God this year. And I believe it is because I am resting. Thank you Lord for giving me the oportunity to rest this Advent season.
Amen! It all ends so quickly anyway and leaves us depleted! Prayers for daughter!
Praying for you Sarah! Sometimes buying things is more restful then making it. Praying for your daughter.
Did your daughter get released? How is that going? Praying for you and your family, dear sister! ❤️
Thank you for rest. For being God with Us. For your comfort in your nearness
So thankful for the rest that Christ offers.
Rest comes from trusting. The sheep in Psalm 23 lies down in green pastures because it trusts the shepherd will provide and doesn’t feel compelled to eat while the grass is green. It drinks at quiet waters because it’s not afraid of the dangers around it. I’m so convicted that often I don’t rest in the Lord because I don’t trust Him like I should. But He freely gives strength and comfort and REST. Oh Lord, help me to trust you more. “You keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in You.” Isaiah 26:3
Jennifer, you nailed it on the head. This is me! I don’t fully trust Him so I continue to fill my day and “control” my day. Such a good word this morning! Praying we lie down in green pastures and drink from still waters!
REST. Such a personal topic for me. This past year has been a revelation of my need for rest. I e always liked being busy, but this year, I wore busyness like a badge of honor, pushing myself relentlessly. And it left me burned out and jaded; don’t ask me much about my personal relationships during that time, because my only memories are of work and an exhausted me. I was burned out, I walked away from the work I was doing.
Looking back, I see how God’s hand was at work. Through prayer, I sought guidance, asking that doors would only open if they aligned with His will for my life. This summer I found a new job—one that not only aligns with my values but offers the flexibility and joy I had been missing. More importantly— it offers me rest. I truly believe that surrendering my plans to God and trusting Him with the outcome made all the difference.
I’ve come to deeply appreciate the importance of rest and the intentionality of embracing moments that make me pause. More than anything, I continue to learn the value of centering my life on how Jesus calls me to live.
Great testimony of how trusting can lead to just what we needed, even when we don’t know WHAT we need!
Rest does not mean not doing any work, for even Jesus talked about sharing His yoke, which was something the animals work to work the land. It is relying o Jesus to do the heavy lifting, so to speak. It’s more about relentless striving and a chaotic pace.
May we know the difference and truat Him to lead us to balance and peace.
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Praying especially for all the caregivers today, that Jesus would give you a deep sense of rest as you care for your loved ones.
Yes! Rest is a posture of our heart, mostly. Being at rest inside in the midst of “doing” is still very possible.
Rest. You know I often think rest is something that I have to earn. I have to get everything done. Then, I can rest. Just one more thing. I need to accomplish this. My mom used to put it this way and her heart was right but my mind took it to a wrong place. She used to say “do what you HAVE to do, then, you can do what you WANT to do.” The problem with that is we can always finds something that has to be done. But if we follow the example of Sweet disciple Mary, we can choose the better part amidst all that still “needs” to be done and turn to the one thing that is “needful”. Resting and being in Jesus’ presence! So much good in today! Have a good one, she’s!
Yes… “Only one thing is necessary…” (Luke 10:42) ♥️
I feel this way. I go go go. No time for rest. This year I am forcing myself to and I feel so much closer to God.
Couldn’t help but be reminded as I read these passages how much importance God places on rest- from creating the Sabbath and commanding us to keep it holy, to Jesus regularly retreating for prayer and rest in the Father and commanding His disciples to do the same. If it’s something Christ does, so should I.
Maybe the hurry, the busy, the overwork leads way to our weariness which blurs our minds and removes our attentiveness to God. When we don’t remain “ready”, sin creeps in and burdens ensure. God knows this is why we need rest. To remain fixated on Him and not of our own ambitions or busy schedules!
Thank you Jesus ♥️
Rest … as elusive as the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow when I look for it on my own. I know that, and yet my exhausted self still tries to find it. Lord, help me turn to You for all the types of rest I need and to sit in the joy that’s waiting.
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These verses ❤️
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My quiet time in the early morning is cherished time – with the Lord and with my sisters here. Thanks to each of you who meet me here throughout the day, praying, studying and encouraging. Thank you, SRT, for the work that goes into making it happen each month – I look forward to the book for each study.
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Praying for:
LYNNE FROM AL – praying for healing, hope you are feeling better today. ❤️
MARI V – ongoing financial provision, and I love your kids!! ❤️
MELANI – your brother’s recovery
LEXI B – continued healing from church hurt
ERICA CHIARELLI – financial provision
FOSTER MAMA – wisdom and guidance in the fostering decision ❤️
LISA H – for Cora ❤️
BARB D – your community in beginning the healing process from the tragedy. Your service is appreciated! Praying for protection and wisdom.
THEA – for wisdom and guidance in working out the details for living near your in-law’s.
CINDY DIAZ – your job search, that the Lord will guide in applications. So sorry about the layoff!! We dealt with a similar situation many years ago, also at the holidays – God had other plans, and they were great.
SARAH M – daughter’s release, for protection and guidance for you
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KRIS – loved the recitation of issues and reminder to focus on Jesus
MERCY ❤️
TRACI GENDRON ❤️
CEE GEE – ❤️ another new-to-me song, will look it up
TINA ❤️
Oh Searching I feel your first paragraph. Lord you want me to rest so I’ll try to find your rest instead of showing up and letting Him do and be my rest. A challenge I too struggle with daily!
Amen to your prayers ♥️
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Come, thou long-expected Jesus. Let us find our rest in Thee.
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Yes Kelly H, come Jesus come!
Yes❤️
Lynn from Alabama. Oh how I relate to you! No time off in a year and a ha!f has been so hard for me! Laughingly told my DIL that was what I wanted for Christmas! Will it happen?? Probably not, but our strength is the LORD. My hubby and I were laughing the other night about our marriage vows almost 61 years ago… for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health and how much has changed in those areas over the last few years. Our joy comes from God. Praying daily for you and other caregiver friends. May you quickly recover from sickness. Not fun for us and particularly during this season. Love you sweet sister!
Isn’t ironic that we have to work so hard to find rest? That we even have to be told by Jesus that He can give us rest for our souls? This has been my journey for the last few years and I wonder know how I kept going, burning through my tasks whereas now my life looks so different – very deliberate time for stillness and quiet, Sabbath days with rest (albeit sometimes that might only be a few hours) and I know when my soul needs to catch up to my body. I no longer want to “busy but good” to be part of my vocabulary because God has shown me how much I need REST!
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Dear Beloved Lord Jesus. We enter into your Peace today. We take a Deep Breath. We pause and lift up on hands to worship you Lord Jesus. It’s all about you. We surrender all to you. We Love you Lord Jesus. Fill us with your Joy. We look forward to the Hope that you know the Plan. We ask you what is the best next step of Faith we can take today? Help us to do all things through you who infuses us with Supernatural Strength. We rejoice in you Lord Jesus. For the Joy of the Lord is our Strength. Now Lead us to your Glory. In Jesus name amen
Amen
What a beautiful prayer. Thank you for sharing this.
Amen! I love the question you posed. What is the next best step of faith we can take? Something to ponder…
Amen!
Amen
Amen ♥️
Beautiful prayer Anna
Amen❤️
Amen! ❤
Off on a bit of a rabbit trail this morning Ladies, but the pairing of knowledge and rest for the Matthew 11 passage got me to wondering what the two have in common. Maybe it’s once we have knowledge of who the Father is and how much He loves us, it’s an inducement to rest… We can stop trying so hard to prove something. Because after all, ‘He’s got the whole world in His hands’!!
Random thoughts from a body that’s on year-end overload for your Thursday:) Hope it’s a blessed day for each of you!
Sally that is such a good insight! We need to know and trust who God says he is. If we don’t then how can we rest in Him?
Sally, I love this insight because I was wondering the same. Thank you, sister.
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Great rabbit trail, Sally! Pretty much what one of the commentaries I read inferred. I may still include it when I write my comment. ❤