Peace and Rest

Jesus was aware of the demands of the world. In His humanity, He experienced physical, emotional, and even spiritual fatigue. God’s grace offers us rest. 

God Says 

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. -Matthew 10:28-29

Something to Think About 

Jesus makes an invitation to go to Him. To give Him your restlessness and heavy burdens. A promise comes with the invitation: Jesus will teach us and give us rest for our souls. We learn gentleness and humility. God’s grace will provide rest for our souls. 

Individual or Family Activity 

To give God our restlessness and heavy burdens—we must create environments where we can go to God. Think about or talk about what an environment would look like for you to encounter God and how rest would contribute to peace in your life. 

Individual or Family Prayer 

Dear God, 

I’m tired. I carry heavy burdens. My soul is restless.

I’m tired.

Tired that the demands of the day exceed my abilities and energies.
Tired that I am over-committed and under-resourced.
Tired of making mistakes, hurting others, and hurting myself.
Tired physically and emotionally. Tired of being out of balance.
Tired of pretending to be somebody I am not. Tired of being distant from You.
Help me come to You and give me rest. Rest for my soul.

I carry heavy burdens. 

Burdens from my past that are still hurting me today. 

Burdens from today that are preventing me from pursuing dreams for tomorrow. 

Burdens from tomorrow that may or may not ever materialize. 

Burdens of stress. Burdens of sadness. Burdens of dejection. Burdens of desolation. 

Burdens of pleasing others. Burdens of dysfunctional relationships. 

Help me come to You and give me rest. Rest for my soul. 

My soul is restless. 

Restless. I long for peace and contentment. 

Restless. I am searching and not finding. 

Restless. I can’t be still and experience Your presence. 

Restless. I struggle with patience and find it difficult to wait for You. 

Restless. I try to control the world around me instead of trusting in You. 

Help me come to You and give me rest. Rest for my soul. 

Remove all obstacles between You and me. 

The obstacles I have created. The obstacles formed by my environments. 

Give me the wisdom that I can do more and be more with You than without You. 

I have tried it on my own and it didn’t work. 

Teach me to love and be loved by You. 

I want to welcome You into my heart and all of my life. 

Heal me. Make me whole. Transform me into a new creation. 

I give You my fatigue, my burdens, and my restlessness. 

Help me come to You and give me rest. Rest for my soul. 

Amen.