This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Shadows: A Glimpse of the Sabbath! (WATCH HERE)
Psalm 62: 1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. 2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
It’s hard to sleep when life is in chaos around you. Sleep is elusive when stress is high. Projects at work, relationship strain, financial concerns, worry about your children, medical issues, and more can lead one to spend hours awake at night. Dosing off may close your eyelids, but your mind races in dreams of panic and danger.
We’ve all had nights like this for one reason or another. We wake up in the morning only to find ourselves physically exhausted and we’re just starting the day.
When our soul is not at rest, it is hard for our bodies and mind to rest. Have you found this to be true?
At times the lack of physical rest can be symptomatic of the lack of spiritual rest. Just think through the above examples…Is the project at work that you are losing sleep over really the concern for your reputation and recognition with your coworkers? Could it be that your work project is a struggle for acceptance by people who you think are important to be accepted by? Could the relationship strain be caused by guilt that is lurking in your heart for things that you said, an unwillingness to accept responsibility, or anger at how you have been treated? Could it be that the real issue in your heart is the lack of humility or forgiveness? How about financial concerns. Sure the bills are due and the bank account is lacking, but is the worry about finances connected to a heart that is discontent or a heart that is struggling to trust how the Lord will provide?
We could go on. The examples aren’t to minimize any situation in which you find yourself, but simply to say that the presenting physical or emotional challenge that is burdening you perhaps is manifesting because there is lack of rest in your soul.
King David wrote Psalm 62. He had lots of reason for worry and stress in his life due to sin, relationship strain, wars, leadership and more. But he starts this Psalm which he gives to his worship leader Jeduthun and recognizes that amidst the challenges of life, ones soul must find rest in God. He is my rock and fortress. Nothing can shake him.
For this reason Jesus himself invites us:
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus doesn’t promise that all the things that can cause us sleepless nights will disappear, but when our soul is at rest in Jesus, our soul can be at rest. When our soul is at rest in Jesus, the challenges and worries of life become lighter and easier to carry…and we might just be able to sleep better.
Finding rest in Jesus isn’t just a “once a week” thing, but it is at the heart of the Sabbath rhythm. God wanted his people to set aside the normal routine and business of life and pause for a day not just to rest physically, but to find rest in him and him alone. The Sabbath was not the only place and time for the soul to recharge, but it was a set and regular time where one’s soul could intentionally plug into one’s Savior. It was a day to let go of the worries of life and rest in the confidence that the Lord is your fortress and nothing could shake him and therefore you.
So next time you find yourself not able to sleep, perhaps the question is, “How can my soul find rest in Jesus?” What promise will he bring to mind? When your soul is at rest and your burden is light…I bet your eyelids get a lot heavier.
Apply: What rhythms can you begin to form, including weekly time in worship, to give your soul an opportunity to find rest in God, your Savior, your fortress, your rest?
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for a secure place for my soul to rest. Forgive me when I forget and remind me and direct me to find regular rhythms of rest for my soul in you and you alone. AMEN.