Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls – Jeremiah 6:16
“All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied.” – Ecclesiastes 6:7
Do you ever feel like you cannot be at rest until certain things have been done?
For example, your mind is racing and your heart is thumping until you have completed your daily to-do list. Or maybe you believe you can’t be at peace until you reach certain milestones in life.
“Once I finish my degree, get married, and accomplish *insert thing here*, then I can finally relax.”
These types of thoughts breed anxiety and worry. They are often rooted in a lack of confidence in God and who He’s called you to be. These thoughts are also founded on the idea that your soul will be satisfied once these things have been accomplished.
The word of God says quite the opposite: There is only One source of true rest and His name is Jesus.
He provides rest for our souls and this rest causes us to be at peace in the midst of chaos and silences worries in the midst of lack.
When we allow our souls to rest in God, we are saying yes to God’s security and provision. We are shifting our focus from the temporary things that we think will provide satisfaction and turning to God, the only One truly able to satisfy our souls.
The amazing thing about allowing God to be our source of rest is that we do not have to wait for some perfect milestone. We can simply abide in Him knowing that as we do this, He will also abide in us and provide us with an eternal rest that is not dependent upon time, space, or circumstances.
Because you are abiding in God, your soul is at rest. Even with deadlines looming, issues in your home, or other challenges of life, you can be at peace because you have full assurance that the God you serve is taking care of you and the concerns of your heart.
PRAYER: Take time today to reflect on if you have depended on worldly/temporary things to satisfy you. This could be people/relationships, jobs, money, achievements and many other things. Ask God to search your heart and expose these things and the root cause(s) of why you depended on them. Repent and ask God to forgive you for ever exalting those things. Ask the Lord to uproot them and to fill you with His Spirit instead, in Jesus’ name.