Knowing the Presence of God in the PsalmsSýnishorn

The Secret Sauce of Rest

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:5–8 (NIV84)

For the weary Christ-follower, the exhortation of these verses is the heavenly secrets of rest and perseverance. These divine secrets are experienced in God alone. They are available nowhere else. If we need stability (rock), security (salvation), protection (fortress), and perseverance (not be shaken), then we must pour out our hearts to him and trust in him to be our refuge.

Recently, I shared this talk with a group of single mothers. Absentmindedly, I asked, “Have you ever taken a nap and woke up tired?” They laughed and said, “Who has time for a nap? Who has time to stop and pray as the kids are waking up and getting ready for school?” Many others have said, “How can I rest when I have so much responsibility that demands my every moment?”

The pace of an average person today is mind-boggling. Many attempt to organize their lives in hopes an organized life will lead to a more peaceful life. While there are many helpful articles and books that can help us organize our lives, an organized life does not mean the soul is at rest. In God alone, our soul can find rest. In God alone, single moms, single dads, married couples, students, and every other human being can find rest for their souls.

Rest for our soul has always been on God’s agenda for our lives. From the beginning, He has wanted us to live in the rhythm of rest and work. This is evident in the story of the very first human couple, Adam and Eve. God created Adam and Eve on the sixth day of Creation (Genesis 1:26). Before the sixth day was over, He told them they were responsible for all the plants and animals.

Then, on the seventh day, God rested.

What??

With all that needed to be done in the Garden, with all that God needed to teach Adam and Eve about the Garden, were they to rest and not work? Yes, the Lord was teaching them the importance of working from a place of rest. He created them to restfully work. He created us to do the same.

Tragically, with Satan’s entrance into this divine rhythm, humanity has forever suffered. From one generation to the next, Satan introduced and established his satanic principle of unrest. Satan’s scheme has become so successful that the world only knows unrest. Unrest has become the accepted reality of every day. Unrest in our schedules. Unrest in our hearts and unrest in our souls. It is as common among Christ-followers as it is with unbelievers.

Rest is not just the absence of activity. Rest is not achieved by having less responsibility, fewer tasks, or taking longer vacations. It is not experienced by just taking a nap! Divine rest starts from a deeper place within our soul.

Divine rest is experienced in the presence of the divine. Divine rest arrests the unrest that seeks to occupy our hearts, minds, and emotions. Divine rest strengthens our faith and settles the unrest that is stirring within us. Divine rest is to be the foundation from which we manage our lives in a divine manner. Unrest can manifest as anxiety, worry, and fear. In the Lord’s presence, David’s soul was strengthened out of unrest and into a state of rest. Likewise, our soul in the Lord’s presence will find rest, confidence, and stamina that is not available anywhere else. It is there where we find strength, hope, and faith. When you encounter life’s greatest challenges, you must pour out your heart to him (verse eight). When your day is full of exhausting “to-do’s,” you will navigate that day better if you work from moments of divine rest. We must make room in our day to pause and connect with the Lord, who is the only one who can place our souls at rest despite all the unrest around us.

When Jesus arrived on the planet, he exhorted his disciples to find their way back to the divine principle of rest (Matthew 11:28-30). I am attempting to do the same. Nearly every morning, I sit on my couch with my Bible and ask the Lord to energize the words I read. I ask Him to deposit strength in my soul as I seek Him in those personal moments. I pour out my heart to Him for the issues I am facing. I have discovered the presence of God within a soul can calm the heart even though the storms of life are raging.

Often, I am amazed at the influence His presence and His Word (the Bible) leave upon my soul. They affect my perspective, my outlook, and my attitude. They deposit stability (rock), security (salvation), protection (fortress), and perseverance (not be shaken). I enter my day with rest within my soul.

Friends, the secret sauce of divine rest is learning how to Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him…” When you create a rhythm in your life that allows you to pour out your heart to him, you will experience His divine presence, which will change how you navigate your day. As you do one day at a time, you will also say, “…for God is our refuge”.