Finding Rest

I am tired.

Restless, actually.

I’m weak, unfocused, and torn apart.

Why you ask?

Because I’ve been lacking the Lord.

I really have no excuse for this.

I just simply, have been prioritizing other things before the Lord.

I am choosing to lie down with the world, in hopes to find that slumber I am longing for, but in reality all that comes with it is more bags under my eyes.

I will say it again, I am tired.

Exhausted.

Restless.

There’s that word again, restless.

I am in a constant state of unease.

I can’t find that peace, that sleep, that I know I need.

And I can’t find it because I am not resting in the right place.

I am not focusing in on what will truly relieve me from this unsettledness.

I am restless, restless for Jesus.

He is what I need, yet I still find myself lying down in hopes that the world will just bring it to me instead.

But it does not work that way.

Lying around waiting for the world to solve your problems and answer your questions is like sitting down waiting for the enemy.

And believe me, the enemy will not keep you waiting because he doesn’t want you to find your answers.

He doesn’t want you to rest.

He wants you to be restless.

He doesn’t want your mind to focus on the right things.

He wants you and your husband to fight.

He wants you to sleep the day away.

He wants you to struggle with schoolwork.

He wants you to feel alone.

He wants you to forget to pay the bills.

He wants you to feel unmotivated.

He wants you to fail.

And believe me you will fail when you try to rest anywhere that isn’t with the Lord.

Many people will say “oh but why would I not rest in the Lord? There’s no other option.”

But what they don’t realize is that the devil likes to throw his own resting place in your face, and sometimes we end up convincing ourselves that it’s okay just this once.

So we take a seat on the bench outside our front door because its there, as if he placed it there for us.

And it only takes once.

One time to fall into the lazy habit of sleeping in on a Sunday and missing church.

One time to skip reading your daily devotional or bible, which allows the opportunity for dust to collect on top of it.

One time, one choice of resting with the enemy can create for missing many moments with God.

It creates a new pattern of choosing other things before choosing God.

And then, before you know it, you are tired.

Exhausted.

Restless.

All because you took a seat on the bench next to the enemy.

There comes a moment while you are on this bench when you realize that this is not the place to be sitting.

This is not how I want to feel every day.

I want to find peace!

I want sleep.

I am tired of feeling restless.

God is the answer to our lack of sleep, our restlessness.

We have to stop turning else where to find that answer.

It is not found on that convenient bench.

It is not found in a conversation with your friend, or in a Netflix series.

It is found in the Lord!

No rest comes from the world.

Rest comes from the Lord! Hope comes from the Lord! Love comes from the Lord! True joy comes from the Lord!

It is time we stop living so restlessly because with restlessness comes recklessness.

Recklessness leads to problems and an unsteady feeling.

It leads us to begin to think that our ways might actually be better than God’s ways.

We begin to feed into our reckless behavior and form habits that, again, leave us tired.

But choosing God leads us away from the uneasiness that comes with feeling so restless.

The truth that we need to realize is that we are all restless people until we rest in God.

We are unsteady and unfocused until we turn our eyes to Him and seek for a place to rest our tired eyes in Him.

And, believe it or not, God provides more than just a bench outside or doors.

He presents us with a king-sized bed decorated with the fullest, softest comforter that you could ever imagine.

And He let’s you rest.

He let’s you unwind and give what is filling your heart with unease to Him.

He has a solution to your tiredness!

He has the fix for your weak heart.

He holds the hope for your tomorrow.

And the Lord will gladly help you, and cover you up, He is just waiting for you to seek Him.

We are to seek Him in all that we do.

Especially when we feel unrested.

I have learned recently that God is not just a temporary resting place either.

It is not a come and go type situation.

You can’t just find your peace in God then turn back to the ways of the world.

It doesn’t work that way.

Finding rest in God means building a relationship.

If you leave, what are you building up?

You’re not. You are only knocking it back down.

You are knocking yourself down.

Because, without God, you are again restless and tired.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of being tired.

I am ready to feel rest.

I am ready to live solely on the confidence given to me from the Lord.

I am ready to feel full and on fire because with God, I am unstoppable!

I can do all things through Chris who strengthens me.

I will find rest in him and him alone.

I will not give in to the temptations that the enemy may place infront of me.

I will get up every day to worship and live a life according to His plan.

I will no longer linger around in my tired ways.

I will rest in God and give everything I have to Him.

Being restless will be a thing of the past.

Going forward, I will be awake because of His goodness and grace.

If you have fallen into this trap of constant exhaustion, you are not alone, and you can still find your sleep!

You can be recharged and refocused, in God!

God definitely recharged me through a few verses from the book of Psalms.

Psalms 3 & 4 read:

Lord, how many are my foes?

How many will rise up against me?

Many are saying of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

But you, Lord, are a shield around me,

my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.

I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

I will not fear though tens of thousands

assail me on every side.

Arise, Lord!

Deliver me, my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

break the teeth of the wicked.

From the Lord comes deliverance.

May your blessing be on your people.

Answer me when I call to you,

my righteous God.

Give me relief from my distress;

have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people turn my glory into shame?

How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?

Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.

Tremble and do not sin;

when you are on your beds,

search your hearts and be silent.

Offer sacrifices of the righteous

and trust in the Lord.

Many, Lord, are asking “Who will bring us prosperity?”

Let the light of your face shine on us.

Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound.

In peace I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Both of these Psalms are a reminder that you are our deliverer!

You shield us from our enemies.

And sometimes, out enemy is that restlessness.

We can sleep peacefully because we know that you will sustain us.

We know that you “strike our enemy in the jaw”.

You protect us from what might happen when we rest on that bench.

You bring us prosperity and safety.

Let Psalms 3 & 4 be a reminder to you that you may always find rest in God. He will deliver you from your weakness, your exhaustion, and your enemy!

He will defeat the devil.

He will provide comfort in any storm.

All we have to do is seek Him!

Call upon Him.

Pray out to him!

Arise, Lord!

Ask Him to deliver you.

I promise that He will.

I will no longer rest in this world.

I will only rest in Jesus!

Thank you for reading today's post!

Lines of Faith is back up and ready to share what the Lord has put on my heart.

MKG

#LinesOfFaith #FillingUpFaithfully #Faith #RestInHim