I have always had a more serious personality, and I’ve never been afraid of responsibility or hard work. However, as a younger woman I finally arrived at a place where I worked too much and became stressed-out, worn out, and burned-out. Before I realized it, my life had gotten out of balance.
First Peter 5:8 is such an important scripture. It says,
Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour (AMP).
Our enemy, Satan, wants us to go to extremes. If he can’t stop us from doing something from God, then he will push us to try and do too much and wear down our mind, emotions, and body.
However, God wants us to live healthy, balanced lives. There needs to be time for work and rest. Now, when we hear the word rest, we tend to think first about physical rest, which is extremely important. But just as we need rest for our bodies, we also need rest for our souls—our mind, will, and emotions.
There’s Rest for the Restless Soul
I’ve learned that it’s possible to give your body rest but not your soul. For example, have you ever had trouble going to sleep because you were worrying about a problem and couldn’t stop thinking about it? This kind of activity just wears us out inwardly.
We can also wear our souls out with too many racing thoughts, too many decisions to make, too much talking, and too much multitasking. I think many people live on permanent overload—busy from daylight till dark trying to fix everything, worried about what’s going to happen next.
People worry about their jobs, their finances, their kids, their health, and their future...just to name a few! But we were never meant to carry these burdens. God wants to ease your burdens and give you His peace and rest. And not just for a day, a week, or a month—He wants you to live in His peace.
God’s Word Soothes and Restores
Matthew 11:28 is an often-quoted scripture and for good reason. As you read it, let Jesus’ words soak deep into your soul. He says,
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls] (AMPC).
Now, I’d like you to read it again from The Message Bible:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew 11:28-30).
This sounds good, doesn’t it? I’ve had enough “heavy” stuff in my life, and I want to be free. When you’re overloaded with the cares of this life—struggling, laboring, and worrying—you need God’s rest.
Jesus: Our Source of Peace
It’s time to send your soul on vacation. Your mind needs to rest from worrying about how to take care of your problems, and your emotions need to rest from being upset all the time. So, when you feel worry and anxiety setting in, remember what Jesus says: Come to Me...and I will cause you to rest (Matthew 11:28 AMPC).
Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), and as we spend time with Him in His Word, through prayer, or by simply sitting quietly in His presence, He imparts His peace and rest to us.
When we feel anxious, it’s easy to panic and allow fear to take over. That’s when we need to slow down, get still, and focus on Jesus. One of the greatest things about God is that He’s always just a prayer away, available anytime of the day for us to cry out to Him for His peace, strength, and help.
Shake Off Cares and Comparisons
I remember when I used to be jealous of my husband, Dave, and the peace he had. I was worn-out most of the time, worrying about problems, but he wasn’t. Now, we had the same problems, but Dave was peaceful and happy because he would cast his cares on God.
One of Dave’s favorite scriptures is 1 Peter 5:7, which says, Cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you. And even now, anytime someone goes to Dave with a problem, he’ll encourage them to “cast your care” and share this scripture with them.
It used to make me so mad when he wouldn’t get upset when I was upset, but eventually, I got to the place where I was desperate to have what he had. So, I prayed and told God I would do whatever I had to do to be peaceful, and He taught me how to change my approach to life.
I often say that I came to realize that the world is not going to change, the enemy is not going to change, and all of the people who bother me probably aren’t going to change. So, I have to decide to change.
How to Protect Your Peace
In John 14:27, Jesus says,
Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give…to you. …Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled] (AMPC).
So, we can be peaceful and make the decision not to be troubled, afraid, agitated, and disturbed...but it won’t just happen automatically. The truth is, we won’t have peace if we don’t pursue it on purpose, because there will always be opportunities to get upset or offended about something.
Satan is a peace stealer, and he works hard to get us upset. But we can learn how to change our approach so we don’t live upset all of the time. I encourage you to read through the Gospels and take special notice of how Jesus acted and responded to various situations.
For instance, Jesus didn’t conform to the world. When He felt tired and pressured from the crowds who wanted Him to help them, He took time to walk away and get rest. He spent time in prayer, alone with the Father, because He knew He wouldn’t be any good to anybody if He didn’t get refreshed.
I challenge you to not waste one more day worried or stressed-out. In every situation, decide what your responsibility is and do what you can, but give the rest to God and let it go. Remember, when you do what you can do, God will step in and do what you can’t do.
Make the decision today to commit your ways to the Lord and rest in Him. Cast your cares on Him, knowing He loves and cares about you all the time, in every situation of your life. As you do, He’ll meet you where you are…and He will “ease, relieve, and refresh your soul.”
