Return To Your Rest

RETURN TO YOUR REST

a prayer to open

Here’s my heart, Lord. Speak what is true.

Here’s my life, Lord. Speak what is true.

I love the LORD because he hears my voice

and my prayer for mercy.

Because he bends down to listen,

I will pray as long as I have breath!

Death wrapped its ropes around me;

the terrors of the grave overtook me.

I saw only trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“Please, LORD, save me!”

How kind the LORD is! How good he is!

So merciful, this God of ours!

The LORD protects those of childlike faith;

I was facing death, and he saved me.

Let my soul be at rest again,

for the LORD has been good to me.

He has saved me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

And so I walk in the LORD’s presence

as I live here on earth!

I believed in you, so I said,

“I am deeply troubled, LORD.”

In my anxiety I cried out to you,

“These people are all liars!”

What can I offer the LORD

for all he has done for me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

and praise the LORD’s name for saving me.

I will keep my promises to the LORD

in the presence of all his people.

The LORD cares deeply

when his loved ones die.

O LORD, I am your servant;

yes, I am your servant, born into your household;

you have freed me from my chains.

I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving

and call on the name of the LORD.

I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people—

in the house of the LORD

in the heart of Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD!

Rest is evasive in our culture. We value productivity, achievement, and success above almost everything else. And so we push our bodies, minds, and souls beyond what they can bear and end up weary, sick, and scattered. In this psalm, we hear how we can counsel our own souls: “Let my soul be at rest again, for the LORD has been good to me.” How might our lives be shaped if we sought out rest for our souls on a regular basis?

• Read this passage again slowly. What word or phrase stands out to you? Why do you think that word or phrase speaks to you? What does it say?
• If you had two days to yourself, what would be restorative to your body, mind, and soul? If you had only one day, how might you rest?
• What is one thing you could do to create a little more rest in your life? Is there something you need to say no to? Is there a conversation you need to have? Is there a routine you need to establish—or discontinue?

Thank you, Lord, for your goodness to me. Help me remember that you are in control and that I can experience rest without fear or anxiety. I know I am at my best when I am filled with your Spirit and living with open hands and an open heart. Guide me as I seek to build rest into my life. Remind me of your goodness and your desire for me to trust you fully. Amen.