Rest in the Lord

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 46:10 – Cease striving, and know that I am God. In reading it I am reminded of my place in the world. I am not God, nor should I try to be. There’s no point to trying to be in control in ways that only He is.

So often we get caught up in making things happen – finding the perfect school, the perfect job, the perfect spouse, and so on.

Our culture places such a high priority on individualism, tempting us to idolize the ability to succeed on our own through sheer willpower. This means that our lives are often characterized by drive, hard work, and…burnout. We feel that we can’t give ourselves a break or else we will fall behind.

I know I’m especially susceptible to putting so much value in my work and my future plans that I forget that I’m not even the one in charge.

And then when things don’t go well, when we face failure after failure and tragedy after tragedy, it can be devastating. These circumstances may be the result of our weaknesses or mistakes, or they may be completely outside of our control.

Either way, we know that at some point we will face disappointments and pain. And in those moments, we may be tempted to give up or to work even harder in our own effort. Both will only end in more frustration and heartbreak.

But this is not how it should be. In Matthew 11, Jesus says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. This doesn’t mean that we will not suffer or face hardships, but that our relationship with God was designed to be a place of rest, not of fatigue.

I sometimes find myself feeling burdened by my faith as I work so hard to be worthy of God’s love, and I become burnt out by all that trying. But God does not tell us to be wearied by our faith; He tells us to find rest in Him.

When I cease all my striving and I look to God for rest, I let Him take over and shoulder my burdens. In those moments He reminds me that my worth is found in Him and that all the work I do must flow out of that truth, not the other way around. He renews my spirit and reenergizes me to live for Him. It’s only by resting in the Lord that I can find any sustainable measure of motivation.

If this is something you struggle with as well, join me in remembering not to make ourselves out to be more than we are; we’re only human and not capable of controlling our circumstances, regardless of how we would often like to be.

Thankfully, this means that we can let go and rest in the knowledge that we are not God – which releases us from the need to be perfect!

We can rejoice in the fact that our strength and hard work won’t cut it. We can stop worrying about whether or not we can handle life’s difficulties, because we already know that we can’t. But God can, and He will.

So let’s turn away from the tendency to doubt His ability to care for us, and choose instead to be still and rest in His arms, quieting our souls.

By humbling ourselves and recognizing our proper place, we can be secure both in what we do and who we are. It’s God who is working all things for good in our lives, not ourselves.

Related Scripture

Psalm 46:10

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Matthew 11:28

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Isaiah 30:15

“In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

Psalm 37:23-34

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.”