In my last post, I Need to Rest…but My Brain Won’t Shut Off , I mentioned that rest is something we both need and run from.
Slowing down can be scary when you’re used to running on the world’s treadmill. At times I have avoided rest because subconsciously I am fearful of what I will discover.
There is no need to be afraid.
Rest is something we are designed to do. God has both a purpose and a plan for it. So maybe it would be helpful to consider some of the benefits of rest.
Rest re-orients our thinking patterns
When we are weary and fatigued, it’s the perfect time for the enemy to sow his lies and weave a blanket of discouragement we want to curl up under.
Rest brings our thinking into focus and allows us to see clearly what God says about what we are facing, in His word and through His past faithfulness.
Rest brings the reality of God’s strength and provision into view. We need to remind ourselves that He is the victor. We need Truth so we can wield it against the enemy’s taunts. Rest enables us to see the devil as he really is: a liar, cheat, accuser and more.
Rest refreshes Us
Like a sip of cold water to the thirsty, we’ll never know how much we need rest until we put our feet up. [Tweet This]
Worry and striving will fade away when we allow God to be our source for all things. When we give our mind and heart some wiggle room, we discover peace and the strength to open our hands to release the burdens that weigh us down.
Rest recharges our batteries
We can simply be worn out. Stress, worry, busyness, over-commitment—all of this wears us down. We need to recharge—and only resting can accomplish that. There comes a time when we have to just say, “That’s it. I am taking the time to rest.”
Times of rest are never wasted. God is God. He is at work even when we sleep. Resting allows for us to admit we need His strength.
Rest helps us to refocus
Fatigue skews our outlook until we are staring in the face of the Deadly-D’s: [Tweet This]
- Doubt
- Discouragement
- Defeat
- Despair
Rest helps us to adjust our focus so we can see our situation more clearly. We gain perspective as we are quiet in God’s presence, immersed in His word and surrendered to His care.
Rest revives
Once we succumb to the weariness, our response to things to do or places to go is apathy. We don’t have the energy—our margin is worn thin and we would rather hibernate.
Rest revives us with the energy that we lack so that we can flourish and get excited about life again. We discover that our creativity returns as well as the spring in our step.
How have you benefited by resting?
I’d love to hear about times when you simply decided enough is enough. Do you rest willingly or are you reluctant to surrender? [Tweet This]
Time out to rest accomplishes far more than we realize.
The benefits of rest are often explained away when we are running a hundred miles an hour and have the world chasing us. But, when we rest, we allow God to capture us in His embrace and give us just what we need to run the rest of the race with the strength He provides.
Do you need to rest?
Jeanne
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Creating margin in your life helps you to rest. Here are a couple of resources:
Thanks so much for this posting.
In today’s world we become busy going to and fro that we forget that our body, soul, and spirit need that rest that only comes from our relationship with our Lord and Savior. My rest is found in Him alone and sometimes we just need to learn to sit back and reflect on the things that are of Him. He is love, light and truth. Reflecting on how perfect His creation is and thanking Him for it brings about a peace as we embrace and rejoice over who He is and who we are when we are in Him!
So true, Karen. Especially in our culture–we are so fast-paced. Everything is happening at warp speed. But, I do think we need to discipline ourselves to step away to meet in the quite place. Thanks for your thoughts.
“Rest revives.” <- I love that. It's amazing how long it takes for me to realize I need this. Need rest. Right now I'm reading The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan…so this is right where I'm at, friend. Thanks for your post, as always!
Becky, I think it is one of the lies Satan dupes us with. Between his tricks and my own pride, I listen to the voice that says, “YOU can do this without any help”
Ha. We know different!!! Deep down, we know.