Rest for the SoulSample

To Rest is to Be Silent

One morning, I was frantically rushing to get the kids out of the house in time for school. After sliding the last PB&J into a sandwich bag, I looked down at my phone to check the time, and the usual anxiety began to tighten in my chest. I had two minutes to leave, or I would have to suffer the car line. 

Just as I was tossing a jelly-stained knife into the dishwasher, I heard a whisper in my spirit. “Rest.” I disregarded the small voice and yelled out to the kids, “Did you brush your teeth?... Did you brush your hair?... Do you have your backpack?” Not too long after, I hear the voice again. “Rest.” Knowing now that the Holy Spirit was gently nudging me to rest, I responded, “How can I rest now when I have to get the kids to school?” I went on about my day, but the word rest lingered in my thoughts. Why was the Holy Spirit telling me to rest, and why at the busiest time of my day? Soon I would discover that rest was for the soul, not just the body. 

Somehow we have made rest to be inconvenient or recreational rather than necessary and daily. Rest is not supposed to disturb you or disrupt your rhythm. It is the silence to the disturbances within your soul so that you can live in the rhythm of an abundant life. Anxiety is a disturbance within the soul. So, the Holy Spirit wasn’t telling me to stop what I was doing. Instead, He was speaking to the loud anxiety within me and telling it to be silent. 

What needs to be silent within your soul? Fear can become so loud that you are unable to hear God whisper, “I’m with you. I’m your hiding place.”

As we begin this journey of rest, I believe the Holy Spirit will whisper to the need in your soul all along the way. Be silent in Him and hear what He is speaking to you. Healing and true rest awaits you!

**My Hiding Place**

Write the scripture Psalms 37:7

Write the word(s) that come alive for you from Psalms 37:7 

What is God saying to you through these words?

Song for you: Word of God Speak by MercyMe