When Was the Last Time You Rested? by Chad Johns
Lie down. Still. Restore. Comfort. Prepare a table. Anoint. Mercy. Dwell. These are the words of scripture.
Busy. Exhausted. Stressed. Worried. Anxious. Depressed. Afraid. Burnt out. Uncertain. These are the words of our culture.
You probably have the ladder. Are you willing to have the former?
We’ve gotten to a place where it’s actually a leap of faith to let God provide for us as in the Psalm. It’s a leap of faith to trust that turning off the phone, going to bed or taken a vacation is okay. Yet this is a promise of God. Work is necessary, but so is stillness, peace and rest.
What can you do today to take the leap of faith? What can you stop? What can you turn off? What can you set aside? The Good Shepherd has arms open for you. Will you let Him embrace you?
May we find, this day and all days, divine rest and comfort in the midst of all the chaos of our lives. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.