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.

Experiencing Rest

December is a busy month. Parties, shopping, Christmas cards, kids’ activities, travel, and everyday normal stuff. God didn’t come to the world so that we would be busy, distracted, and tried. God came to the world so that we could be focused and rested.

God Says

And Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. –Mark 2:27

Something to Think About

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Humans are created in God’s image and are in a continuing process of being restored into God’s image. Sabbath is part of what restores humans to God’s image. Sabbath is the refusal to let one’s life be defined by consumption and production. It is making space for God and others and self. Learning that you don’t have to do to be. And accepting the grace of doing nothing. It is taking some time each day, each week, and each year to trust that we can do more with God than we can without God.

Individual or Family Activity

Spend focused time with God and / or loved ones. Be intentional. Eliminate your access to distractions. Disconnect from the world and connect to God and / or loved ones.

Individual or Family Prayer

Dear God,

Let this day be comprised of moments that

Sustain rather than stress

Fill-up rather than empty

Restore rather than weaken

Set me free from habits that disconnect me from You and others

        Too much attention to unimportant things

A calendar that is too full

Constant distractions

Let me come to You and embrace Your rest for my soul

For things that waste my time let me release

For a life that is too busy let me cease

For time filled with interruptions and diversions give me peace

In my life of stress let me experience your lifeline of grace

Replenish my body and my relationships

Renew my mind and my attitude

Restore my soul

Amen.