Day 9

I Will Give You Peace and Rest

from the Promises of God reading plan


Matthew 11:28-30, John 14:27, John 20:19-23, Psalm 55:22, Isaiah 53:1-5, Philippians 4:4-7, Colossians 3:12-17

BY She Reads Truth

When you think of rest, you may envision a quiet weekend in a quaint cabin in the woods, or perhaps a peaceful morning on the beach. Maybe you just imagine a morning when you get to ignore the alarm and sleep for an extra thirty minutes. The image we often have of rest is one of stillness and quiet, but what Jesus promises us goes beyond mere tranquility.

The rest Jesus offers isn’t a retreat, but a new way of living, drawn from an Old Testament concept called shalom. Shalom is more than rest; it is peace, wholeness, blessing, and connection to the Lord. This is only possible when we learn to rely on God rather than our own efforts, to cast our worries onto His back rather than piling them up on our own. This is the rest Jesus calls us to. And when we accept His invitation, we find His peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Jesus tells His followers that His “yoke is easy and [His] burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). His “yoke” is a lifestyle, a commitment to walk in obedience to His teachings and in light of His example. Jesus taught the way of the kingdom, complete with the pace and priorities of heaven, and He modeled total dependence on God, the key to true shalom. When we follow His example, we learn we can take His peace with us wherever we go.

Post Comments (93)

93 thoughts on "I Will Give You Peace and Rest"

  1. Allison Sherwood says:

    I feel like I am in the midst of learning what a balanced, human life looks like, and the concept that we can have peace in the middle of everything just sounds so lovely! Regardless of what my life brings, I can still have peace in Christ! Amen!

  2. Ashley Cesare says:

    Every year I chose a word to anchor to and last year’s word was “rest.” I found myself reliving in past sin, overwhelmed by my own thoughts and understanding. I needed to surrender completely to Jesus. And that is what I did! I focused on resting in his love and forgiveness. I felt the most beautiful sense of peace in my life. I won’t lie, there were times throughout last year that I did fail to rest in his plan for me. I would focus too much on my own plans and own understandings. I’m working on this, though! This year, my word is “focus,” really putting Jesus at the center of my life and focusing on the goodness that he is in my world. So far, I feel free and at peace! Amen!

  3. Poppy Waskett says:

    Let your reasonableness be known to everyone, the Lord is at hand. It is by His holy spiritual that I can be reasonable, patient, kind and compassionate, gentle and humble. As I go to work today and need those gifts I thank you Lord that I can trust in your Holy Spirit to help me. Alone I cannot do it in my own strength but with Jesus I can. Thank you for paying the price so that I can know that the Lord is at hand as I go into today.

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