Finding the Rest Our Souls Crave

It’s time to take a seat. It’s time to pause. Finding the rest our souls crave requires that we slow down and meet with God. Slow down and listen to what He’s trying to tell us.

We live in a fast-paced, instant gratification, side hustle, striving culture. There are very few moments of rest in most of our days. When I say “rest”, I do not mean mindlessly scrolling social media, zoned out watching TV, or even sleeping. When I say “rest”, I mean rest for our weary souls.

So, how do we obtain the rest our souls crave?

Jesus.

Jesus is the only person who can meet us where we are and give our weary souls the rest we need. Sounds simple enough but how exactly do we go about doing it?

Slow Down

We need to slow down. There is nothing wrong with listening to Scripture while washing dishes, sermons while working out, or devotionals while commuting. Those are all wonderful things and great ways to intergrade God’s Word into your daily lives. But in those things we are not fully focused. Our attention is split between hearing God’s Word and whatever tasks we’ve paired it with.

We can gain understanding and even time with Him in those moments but we are also at risk of becoming distracted. In order to slow down, try taking a few minutes out of your day to just sit in His presence. You could read scripture and reflect on it, you could pray, you could sing, or you could just sit and ask God to help you to feel His presence.

Press Pause

I know what you are thinking, “Isn’t pause like slowing down?” Not exactly. A pause (or a “Time Out with Jesus” as I call it in my house) is an unscheduled moment when I feel overwhelmed and am at risk or already have acted out in my flesh and need to pause before I do anything else. I need a reset—a time out, to help me respond in the situation rather than react. I need the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the best way I can obtain that is to pause.

Trust in Jesus

In order to receive the rest my soul desires from the Lord, I have to trust He will provide me with rest. Slowing down and pausing won’t magically bring me rest, but sitting at Jesus’ feet and trusting that He is the source of rest my soul needs will. The Lord loves each of His children and desires to give them rest in this stressful world. All we need to do is come to Him.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28