Finding Rest in Christ: 9 Practical Ways to Abide in God’s Promised Rest

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Walking down the beach just after sunrise, I see a young woman meditating. She’s in a yoga position (lotus) near to where the waves lap the shore. She looks peaceful, and I pass by quietly.

She feels “it.”

That’s how I feel, too, when the salty ocean breeze cools my face and my little boy is laughing and splashing and none of my loved ones are sick and I’ve paid all the bills (for now). It’s how I feel when I’ve not blown it on the third slice of chocolate cake, when my toddler didn’t wake up before I was ready, and when nobody has offended me or misunderstood me in a few weeks.

Then, I feel “it,” too.

Is this peaceful “it” what God promised when He said that He would give me rest and peace? How do I spiritually “plug in” to this peace when I’m home (aka..not the beach) and my toddler throws a tantrum, my husband arrives home late from work, and the cake spills out and catches fire in the oven (..yes)……and all at the same time?

Is that elusive “it” impossible when I don’t get invited, when he didn’t seem to care, and when I am just.plain.tired?

When the demands feel overwhelming, when I’m inadequate, and when I’ve already blown it and it’s only Monday morning, how do I “ABIDE” (John 15:4-5)? How do I “dwell?”

The following are 9 practical ways that I am learning to quiet my soul and to abide in God’s promised rest:

1. Remember the cross

I play music that points me to the cross, either listening to tracks like this one and this one, or playing on the piano hymns like “There Is a Fountain,” “Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting,” or “I Stand Amazed in the Presence.” I read in the book of John or read Isaiah 53. I preach to my soul the gospel message and focus on the sacrifice of the Son of God on my behalf. “Looking unto Jesus…lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls,” Hebrews 12:2-3.

2. Pray God’s truths and promises, and pray the Psalms’ laments

I am easily overwhelmed. My personality “needs” everything just-so, but God is teaching me that my life is not my own and to rest and trust in the fact that God is Lord of my time, my energies, my dreams, and my griefs. Sometimes I just STOP and sit down in the middle of my living room and recount to God His word and my woes. I preach to my soul God’s truths. Some of my “fall-back” passages are Psalm 103:1-5; Psalm 46:1-11; Psalm 37:1-11; Psalm 73:25-28; Philippians 4:6-8; Hebrews 4:14-16; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Isaiah 55:1-3; Isaiah 43:1-7; Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 8; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Peter 5:5-7; Revelation chapters 4 and 5; Revelation 15:3-4; John 14:1-3.

3. Meditate on and memorize scripture

This one goes hand in hand with number two, but I want to point you to a couple of resources I have used for memorizing scripture. I have used this plan to memorize large portions of scripture at a time, and I use this app to review short scriptures and memorize new individual verses.

4. Get adequate sleep

I could write an entire blog post on this point (and I probably will! 😉 ), but … go to bed! Most people need around 8 hours of sleep nightly. This understanding is not new with me (I’ve been encouraged in this truth by mentors and friends as well as by Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, and Kay Arthur), but disregarding sleep because you’re too busy for it or think you are an exception to God’s design can fall into what I’ve heard called “presumptuous sin.” God created your body and designed it to need sleep. He created people, put 24 hours in a day, and reveals to us his plan to bring glory to Himself through clay pots that need to lay unconscious for about 1/3 of their lives to even function. Humbling? Yes. But in our weakness, He is shown strong, so humble yourself under His creating hand, and submit to His plan and His will. And if we’re wanting to get a good night’s sleep? We might have to curb the caffeine after lunchtime (eek..this one’s tough for me..).
Note: when the baby is up all night, when you’re pulling double shifts, and when you can’t sleep on the flight….ask God for grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). But when we’re exasperated and exhausted and irritated Wednesday morning because we stayed up on facebook until 11 p.m. Tuesday night? Maybe we didn’t plug into the grace that God had already provided for us: a good night’s sleep.

5. Get outside and go for a walk

God also designed the human body to move and release feel-good-endorphin hormones during physical exertion. So, plug into this grace, and go for a quick walk. Sometimes I even sneak out for 5 minute walks before my husband leaves for work in the mornings — those 5 minutes affect the rest of my day. While outside, remember your Creator, and glorify Him as the created world sings of His beauty, grandeur, and splendor.

6. Eat a nutritious breakfast

In addition to rest and exercise, God also designed our bodies to properly function on the food he created. If I start my day with a nutritious breakfast and a healthy balance of fats, protein, and carbs, my body will simply operate better and I won’t feel as tired and sluggish at 10 a.m. as I would if I drink a Diet Coke and eat a bite of chocolate for breakfast, setting myself up for a blood sugar crash mid-morning. (I wrote an entire post about this here.)

7. Ask a close friend to pray

I have a couple of friends that I’ll instant message and ask to pray for me when I’m having a hard day. What a BLESSING it is that they go before the Father on my behalf. And how humbling it is when I have been too proud to seek the encouragement of others, but they text or call me anyway and tell me that God has laid me on their hearts to pray for me. Ohhh goodness…what a loving Father I have.

8. Hire a babysitter

This idea has been a tough one for me, because I have struggled with wanting to “do it all” and then feel mommy-guilty when I don’t have anything left. However, bringing in trusted help (whether it is hired help or a family member) is just another grace that God has given to me to take advantage of. When I was pregnant last year, I hired a sitter to come to my house once or twice a week to keep my (then) 1-year-old since I was sick and soo tired. After our miscarriage, I continued to need some help intermittently as I needed time away from the house here and there and to spend extra time with my husband. This year, my husband and I have budgeted for a sitter to come to our home and help me a couple of days each month, as it provides a physical and mental break for me and allows me to get some rest and alone time.

9. Slow down

Some of us are just plain tired and can’t find spiritual or physical rest because because we’re just plain trying to do too much. God gives each of us about 16 waking hours per day; we are to seek Him to determine what it is that He wants us doing during that time, and stop trying to beat-the-clock that God put in place in our lives. This number 9 is something I’m really trying to figure out in my life right now (and taking what are, for me, drastic measures to implement). I’ll plan to keep you updated as to how the Lord leads as I seek rest in Him by just slowing down and serving Him in the ways that He has willed.

Of course, none of this rest is possible (or, at best, it’s only a temporary feeling) until Christ IS your rest, “for the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, just as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:10).

Until you have received the free gift of God’s salvation, true rest and peace are not possible. Yes, you may feel “it” walking along the seashore and living the happy moments with family and friends, but Jesus Christ is the only Source of true peace and rest. “For we who have believed enter that rest…” (Hebrews 4:3).

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1

THANK YOU for sharing in this series with me on rest. May God give you rest in His Son through salvation and as you walk in the ways of the Lord.

With love,
amanda

Resources and Links

..The Lord used the book, “Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret” to begin teaching me about abiding and resting in Him. It is probably the most life-changing book I have ever read apart from the scriptures themselves. (And it’s only a dollar as a Kindle book on Amazon!)

Some of my favorite music resources for focusing on Christ and His sacrifice on my behalf..

..Fernando Ortega’s Shadow of Your Wings: Hymns & Sacred Songs.

..Hidden In My Heart: A Lullaby Journey Through Scripture. I purchased this first volume of Scripture lullabies when I was pregnant with my son, and I plan to purchase Volume II and Volume III as well. This music is so comforting, beautiful, and scriptural.

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