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Rest Your Emotions

When I think about being tired, there is tiredness, and then there is feeling emotionally drained. It happens due to stress and anxiety or sometimes just being around emotionally demanding people.

David was no stranger to exhausting emotions. And in Psalm 23, he celebrates a resting place from it in the Lord. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need.” (v. 1, NLT) “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” (v. 4)

I am sure that all of David’s fears and needs were just suddenly gone for good. King Saul and his other enemies would still be a problem the next day. And his need for peace and love in his home would still trouble his heart the next day. But for the moment that he wrote Psalm 23, he found rest.

In the same way, we can take one day per week to rest from our emotional challenges. Why not take a day per week when you don’t look at your bank account? Or instead of feeling pressured to respond to a demanding family member, why not keep their text message on hold until the next day? As you get used to preparing for your weekly rest day, you may find that you start managing trigger situations and people better. Putting them off for less than 24 hours will most likely not make them worse.

Do you feel exhausted from trying to please the demanding people around you? Or do you feel run down by financial or work stress? Do you believe that you can have a day of rest from it all?

Let us examine our lives for the emotional areas that exhaust us. And let us find ways to find rest in the Lord. He wants that for you! “Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." (Psalm 4:6-8)