It's Time to Rest

If our only perspective on rest is sleep, then we are sorely mistaken and have likely missed several opportunities to release the weight of this world into the hands of The One who created it. Sleep is part of rest but not the whole. I started Girls’ Night primarily for other single women like me; sitting at home on a Friday night, not a thing in the world to do. 

There are many thoughts on what women should and should not be these days, but the reality is that many of us are out here fighting for our lives and trying to make lemonade out of some pretty tough lemons. To live in this culture and say I’m going to honor God and be successful is like signing up to climb Mount Everest, but you’ve never even walked up a steep hill. So, what’s my point? 

My point is this — Sis, you have a lot on your plate, and rest can often feel like a villain in your plot. This really isn’t about the soft life that is being coveted today, either. The rest I speak of is about having peace in your heart, home, and work. Operating with God in a way that absolves the anxiety and releases you to be fully present in your life and relationship with Him. 

I took some time to gain a better Biblical perspective on rest and want to highlight Psalm 55:22 which says, “Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” 

The last part of this scripture confused me for a moment. After a bit of digging and putting it fully in context, I realized that the writer, David, was really going through it. Earlier in verse 2, David acknowledges that he was overwhelmed by his troubles; by verse 4, his heart was pounding in his chest. He goes on to process his anxieties and concerns related to his enemies. By time we get to verse 22, we see a release happen — a moment and statement of trust that his burdens can be given over to the Lord who is trustworthy and will take care of him. Sometimes, it’s easy to isolate scriptures like the end of verse 22 which says, “He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” We begin to question God by wondering, “If this is true, then why has my life been so difficult?” This was not a statement of law, instead a statement of faith. Most importantly, it’s not narrowly focused on the woes of human existence, rather on our ultimate fate of being with God in eternity. 

I also want to highlight that a pounding heart (vs. 4) is a known symptom of anxiety, and through his anxiousness, David recognized that the Lord would take care of him. This is how I want you to rest, knowing, trusting, and believing that the Lord will take care of you. You have not failed God because you are anxious. Instead, take that anxiety and release it as a praise, a statement of faith that God will take care of you.