It Takes Courage to Rest in God…

"Aborting rest empties [us] of everything, holy. It strips [us] of the ability to treasure life and peels away the value of being...it takes courage to rest. It takes strength to walk away from good in the pursuit of better."

One of my favorite scriptures that I held on to during the season that God gave me to overcome addiction, obesity, and laziness was Psalm 18:27-29...

“Lord, you light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness. With you, I can attack a barricade, and with my God, I can scale a wall.”

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This verse motivated me to move in Jesus's name. I have to be honest with myself now, though; I took it too far. Pursuing ministry and health at all costs is not always the better idea. I began to live as though I didn't have to worry about the physical ramifications of my choices. This is not uncommon for me, but praise the Lord for His patience and how He uses all things to bring us back to Him!

What if we took this verse in the direction of attacking the barricade of busyness that we've built with our own hands? What if we scale the wall of fear of failure, missing out, or even our works-based faith by slowing down and calling on YAHWEH as our personal God?

We know the answer...

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11

If you haven't read the book "Sacred Rest" on the necessity of physical and spiritual rest, start ASAP! We have misunderstood so much about rest. Even if you don't read that book, I hope everyone who reads this sets out to slow down. Even more, though, I pray we are all courageous enough to replace something on our to-do list with spending concentrated time resting on our faithful God!

"Our hearts are restless

Until they find rest in You

Our hearts are restless

Until they find rest in You

This is where my hope lies

This is where my soul sighs

I will always find my rest in You."