Rest in the Lord
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. Psalm 62:5
When you’re traveling, it’s good to stop once in a while. You need to stretch your legs, get a snack or maybe use the restroom. Sometimes the driver needs a quick nap.
Sometimes there are things that make us afraid. Young people might be afraid of the dark or storms. Maybe spiders, snakes or dogs seem scary. Some adults can be afraid of flying, heights, and even clowns.
When you feel afraid, you might start to sweat or you feel shaky. Your heart may race or your legs may feel weak. Sometimes you might even feel sick to your stomach.
Those who have Jesus in their hearts may get scared sometimes; but they don't "freak out" and are able to find peace and rest.
In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus decided it was time to leave the area of Galilee and take a boat across the Sea of Galilee to the other side. As they were sailing, a big storm came up on the lake. Large waves were breaking over the boat. The disciples became afraid. But Jesus was asleep in the boat! They woke Him up and said, “Teacher, don’t You care if we drown?” Jesus got up and told the wind and the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” At His command, the wind died down and the lake was calm again. Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
This is one of the wonderful things about being on the road with Jesus. If we trust Jesus, we never have to be afraid. Jesus told the disciples that they were going to the other side. This reminds us that Jesus’ word can be trusted. Just like Jesus was with the disciples in the boat, He is with us too. There is no situation that is too hard for Jesus to handle. He can handle any road block that comes our way. During the storm, Jesus was at such peace that He was asleep! Jesus was following God’s will for His life, so He didn’t need to worry and was able to sleep. If we want to be free from fear and worry, we need to put our trust in Jesus. When we get scared or worried on our life’s journey, we can turn to Him for rest and peace. Two ways we can do this are through prayer and God’s Word.
In the Old Testament times, only the high priest was allowed into the inner part of the temple where God’s presence was. But when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple was torn and we were allowed full access to God. This means that we can go to Him in prayer anytime we want.
When we feel afraid we can pray. Prayer is simply talking to God. We can share with Him whatever is on our hearts and minds. If we need to make an important decision; if we are having a tough time with a sibling or friend; if we are nervous about an upcoming presentation; or if we’re afraid during a thunderstorm, we can talk to God about it God will calm your spirit and help you to feel peaceful and at rest inside.
And then there is God’s Word. We need to “feed” on God’s Word everyday. Taking time to read God’s Word everyday is very important to our life’s journey. There will be times when we feel afraid or worried about things. If we keep focusing on those fears and feelings, they will grow. But if we spend time reading and memorizing God’s Word, then we will be able to push back our fearful thoughts and feelings when they come. God’s Word will help us to focus on God’s promises. This will give us courage, peace and rest.
There are many verses in the Bible that remind us to not be afraid. God told Joshua to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). In Psalm 29:11 it says that “the Lord blesses His people with peace.” The writer of Psalm 118:6-7 wrote “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. . . He is my helper.” The prophet Isaiah shared God’s words with the people. God said, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). Jesus told the disciples in John 14:27 to not let their hearts be troubled and to not be afraid. And in Hebrews 13:6 we are reminded that “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
Reading and knowing these verses will help you to feel better when you are facing a fearful time. It will distract you from your fear and help you to focus on God.
It’s important to take time each day to stop and rest in the Lord. We call this time devotions. Without this time of rest, we will get weary and the difficulties and fears of life will start to overtake us and keep us from moving forward on our journey.
There is a story about two lumber jacks. We’ll call them Bob and Jack. They had a little contest to see who could chop more logs. Bob and Jack started chopping at the same time. Every so often, Bob could hear that Jack stopped chopping. Bob thought this meant that he would be the winner because he didn’t stop. When the whistle blew and the logs were counted, it turned out that Jack had more logs. Bob couldn’t believe it! He asked Jack how he was able to chop more logs when he kept stopping. Jack said he stopped so he could sharpen his axe!
From this story we learn that it’s important to stop and rest in the Lord so that we can “sharpen our axe” by reading the Bible and praying. Then we will be better equipped to stay on the road with Jesus. It’s not a sign of weakness to stop and rest. Just like our physical bodies need sleep at night, our spiritual bodies need rest too.
We should not let our fears keep us from enjoying the life journey that Jesus wants for us. I hope you see how important it is to stop and rest in the Lord each day. When we take the time to pray and read God’s Word, we are able to face whatever fears may come our way. We can feel peaceful and confident because we know that God is with us and He will never leave us. I’ll be sure to make time for a rest stop each day. Will you?
When you’re traveling, it’s good to stop once in a while. You need to stretch your legs, get a snack or maybe use the restroom. Sometimes the driver needs a quick nap.
Sometimes there are things that make us afraid. Young people might be afraid of the dark or storms. Maybe spiders, snakes or dogs seem scary. Some adults can be afraid of flying, heights, and even clowns.
When you feel afraid, you might start to sweat or you feel shaky. Your heart may race or your legs may feel weak. Sometimes you might even feel sick to your stomach.
Those who have Jesus in their hearts may get scared sometimes; but they don't "freak out" and are able to find peace and rest.
In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus decided it was time to leave the area of Galilee and take a boat across the Sea of Galilee to the other side. As they were sailing, a big storm came up on the lake. Large waves were breaking over the boat. The disciples became afraid. But Jesus was asleep in the boat! They woke Him up and said, “Teacher, don’t You care if we drown?” Jesus got up and told the wind and the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” At His command, the wind died down and the lake was calm again. Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
This is one of the wonderful things about being on the road with Jesus. If we trust Jesus, we never have to be afraid. Jesus told the disciples that they were going to the other side. This reminds us that Jesus’ word can be trusted. Just like Jesus was with the disciples in the boat, He is with us too. There is no situation that is too hard for Jesus to handle. He can handle any road block that comes our way. During the storm, Jesus was at such peace that He was asleep! Jesus was following God’s will for His life, so He didn’t need to worry and was able to sleep. If we want to be free from fear and worry, we need to put our trust in Jesus. When we get scared or worried on our life’s journey, we can turn to Him for rest and peace. Two ways we can do this are through prayer and God’s Word.
In the Old Testament times, only the high priest was allowed into the inner part of the temple where God’s presence was. But when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple was torn and we were allowed full access to God. This means that we can go to Him in prayer anytime we want.
When we feel afraid we can pray. Prayer is simply talking to God. We can share with Him whatever is on our hearts and minds. If we need to make an important decision; if we are having a tough time with a sibling or friend; if we are nervous about an upcoming presentation; or if we’re afraid during a thunderstorm, we can talk to God about it God will calm your spirit and help you to feel peaceful and at rest inside.
And then there is God’s Word. We need to “feed” on God’s Word everyday. Taking time to read God’s Word everyday is very important to our life’s journey. There will be times when we feel afraid or worried about things. If we keep focusing on those fears and feelings, they will grow. But if we spend time reading and memorizing God’s Word, then we will be able to push back our fearful thoughts and feelings when they come. God’s Word will help us to focus on God’s promises. This will give us courage, peace and rest.
There are many verses in the Bible that remind us to not be afraid. God told Joshua to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). In Psalm 29:11 it says that “the Lord blesses His people with peace.” The writer of Psalm 118:6-7 wrote “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. . . He is my helper.” The prophet Isaiah shared God’s words with the people. God said, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). Jesus told the disciples in John 14:27 to not let their hearts be troubled and to not be afraid. And in Hebrews 13:6 we are reminded that “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
Reading and knowing these verses will help you to feel better when you are facing a fearful time. It will distract you from your fear and help you to focus on God.
It’s important to take time each day to stop and rest in the Lord. We call this time devotions. Without this time of rest, we will get weary and the difficulties and fears of life will start to overtake us and keep us from moving forward on our journey.
There is a story about two lumber jacks. We’ll call them Bob and Jack. They had a little contest to see who could chop more logs. Bob and Jack started chopping at the same time. Every so often, Bob could hear that Jack stopped chopping. Bob thought this meant that he would be the winner because he didn’t stop. When the whistle blew and the logs were counted, it turned out that Jack had more logs. Bob couldn’t believe it! He asked Jack how he was able to chop more logs when he kept stopping. Jack said he stopped so he could sharpen his axe!
From this story we learn that it’s important to stop and rest in the Lord so that we can “sharpen our axe” by reading the Bible and praying. Then we will be better equipped to stay on the road with Jesus. It’s not a sign of weakness to stop and rest. Just like our physical bodies need sleep at night, our spiritual bodies need rest too. We should not let our fears keep us from enjoying the life journey that Jesus wants for us. I hope you see how important it is to stop and rest in the Lord each day. When we take the time to pray and read God’s Word, we are able to face whatever fears may come our way. We can feel peaceful and confident because we know that God is with us and He will never leave us. I’ll be sure to make time for a rest stop each day. Will you?
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