Rest.
Quiet the body.
Awaken the spirit.
Breathe.
Feel the flood of revitalization.
Rest.
Listen and hear.
Soak.
Receive wisdom.
Rest.
I went on a silent retreat a few weekends ago. Until then I had never been on one. I had no idea what to expect. I just knew in my spirit that it was something I needed to do.
When I first told people that I was going on one, they looked at me like I was crazy! "Why can't you just stay at home and rest?" "Why would you want to be silent that long?" I had no answers, other than I needed to go away and be in the presence of Jesus.
The concept of rest is not foreign. However, in our crazy, driven, American lives, it can easily be overlooked and forgotten.
Rest is key to listening to the Holy Spirit's leading.
"For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience." - Hebrews 4:10-11
The more we rest in His presence, the more we are aligned with what He is asking us to be obedient in. When we are not rested, it is a lot easier to fall into disobedience.
Resting in Jesus means you need to learn to refuse the guilt of "other things."
"While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord's feet and was listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.' The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her." - Luke 10:38-42
In a sermon I heard recently, the point was made "We can get easily distracted by doing 'good things.'" Look at Martha, she was so busy trying to do the "right thing" that she missed the point of spending time with Jesus.
Rest includes shutting up and listening.
"Pay attention and listen to me. Be quiet and I will speak. But if you have something to say, answer me; speak for I would like to justify you. If not, then listen to me; be quiet and I will teach you wisdom." - Job 33:31-33
In this verse, Job's friend is talking to him, confronting him, and offering wisdom to him. That is a good friend. Elihu cared so much about Job that he was willing to look like a fool by speaking up. Our relationships with Jesus should be like that. We need to take time to listen to what He is teaching us. Sometimes that means He is chastising us to change areas of our lives. Sometimes that means He is teaching us wisdom on how to approach things in life. Be quiet and listen.
Rest is not about "WOW" moments, but about making time to hear the whispers of truth.
"Then He said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord's presence.' At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave." - 1 Kings 19:11-13
I spent the weekend painting with water colors, writing prayers, listening to music and reading through old hymnals, reading the Word of God. There was no big "WOW" moment of "The Lord saith..." but rather confirmation in my spirit about some things He had already been showing me. Like the fact that I need to intentionally create space to spend time with Him. Space in my heart. Space in my schedule.
Rest is about expecting God to speak.
"Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him." - Psalm 37:7
When we are in a place of rest and listening, we hear what He has to tell us.
Rest heals weary, tired hearts.
"Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28
The Giver of Life is the healer of the hearts He created. Time with Him restores and renews our entire beings - mind, body, soul, and spirit. It is the best salve for our wounds and hurts.
Learning how to rest in daily life prepares us to rest when battles come.
"The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." - Exodus 14:14 (NLT)
If we have trained ourselves to be constantly at rest in Jesus, we remain at peace no matter what earthly circumstances look like.
"Rest is a weapon against the enemy. He cannot penetrate your peace." - Graham Cooke
Rest tips:
1. Find a new spot! At home, it's hard to rest without feeling guilty about all the things you could/"should" be doing.
2. Read the lyrics to old hymns. There is something amazing about reading songs to Jesus that have been passed down through the ages. A couple of hymns I discovered on my weekend were "Sanctuary" by William Runyan and "How Firm a Foundation" by George Keith.
3. Meditate on the Psalms. Psalms is full of rest meditations. Highlight words that indicate rest - "refuge, safety, wait, listen, etc."
4. Write about what Jesus is teaching you. Don't make it some scary task. It's not. Just pick up a pen or type, and see what He is revealing. Not only does it give you time to meditate on what you are learning, but it also "speaks" it into the atmosphere. It is so fun to go back and read old writings!
5. Explore with art. Draw, paint, collage. Don't be afraid to try new things! It is not about perfection, it is about exploring how you are hearing from God. I tried water colors and it was really neat to see the images I got for certain things. Then I was able to write prayers for those things.
"Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel." - Eleanor Brownn (It really is spelled with 2 "b's").
Quiet the body.
Awaken the spirit.
Breathe.
Feel the flood of revitalization.
Rest.
Listen and hear.
Soak.
Receive wisdom.
Rest.
I went on a silent retreat a few weekends ago. Until then I had never been on one. I had no idea what to expect. I just knew in my spirit that it was something I needed to do.
When I first told people that I was going on one, they looked at me like I was crazy! "Why can't you just stay at home and rest?" "Why would you want to be silent that long?" I had no answers, other than I needed to go away and be in the presence of Jesus.
The concept of rest is not foreign. However, in our crazy, driven, American lives, it can easily be overlooked and forgotten.
Rest is key to listening to the Holy Spirit's leading.
"For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience." - Hebrews 4:10-11
The more we rest in His presence, the more we are aligned with what He is asking us to be obedient in. When we are not rested, it is a lot easier to fall into disobedience.
Resting in Jesus means you need to learn to refuse the guilt of "other things."
"While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord's feet and was listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.' The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her." - Luke 10:38-42
In a sermon I heard recently, the point was made "We can get easily distracted by doing 'good things.'" Look at Martha, she was so busy trying to do the "right thing" that she missed the point of spending time with Jesus.
Rest includes shutting up and listening.
"Pay attention and listen to me. Be quiet and I will speak. But if you have something to say, answer me; speak for I would like to justify you. If not, then listen to me; be quiet and I will teach you wisdom." - Job 33:31-33
In this verse, Job's friend is talking to him, confronting him, and offering wisdom to him. That is a good friend. Elihu cared so much about Job that he was willing to look like a fool by speaking up. Our relationships with Jesus should be like that. We need to take time to listen to what He is teaching us. Sometimes that means He is chastising us to change areas of our lives. Sometimes that means He is teaching us wisdom on how to approach things in life. Be quiet and listen.
Rest is not about "WOW" moments, but about making time to hear the whispers of truth.
"Then He said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord's presence.' At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave." - 1 Kings 19:11-13
I spent the weekend painting with water colors, writing prayers, listening to music and reading through old hymnals, reading the Word of God. There was no big "WOW" moment of "The Lord saith..." but rather confirmation in my spirit about some things He had already been showing me. Like the fact that I need to intentionally create space to spend time with Him. Space in my heart. Space in my schedule.
Rest is about expecting God to speak.
"Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him." - Psalm 37:7
When we are in a place of rest and listening, we hear what He has to tell us.
Rest heals weary, tired hearts.
"Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28
The Giver of Life is the healer of the hearts He created. Time with Him restores and renews our entire beings - mind, body, soul, and spirit. It is the best salve for our wounds and hurts.
Learning how to rest in daily life prepares us to rest when battles come.
"The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." - Exodus 14:14 (NLT)
If we have trained ourselves to be constantly at rest in Jesus, we remain at peace no matter what earthly circumstances look like.
"Rest is a weapon against the enemy. He cannot penetrate your peace." - Graham Cooke
Rest tips:
1. Find a new spot! At home, it's hard to rest without feeling guilty about all the things you could/"should" be doing.
- Call up a friend and see if you can borrow a guest room for a day.
- Go to a park - picnic tables, an old quilt on the grass, benches
- Take a scenic drive. Worship, talk out loud to God. Turn off the radio, and listen in the silence.
- Take a hot bubble bath. Listen to a "Relaxation Station" on Pandora. Soak physically and spiritually.
- Take a walk or sit in nature.
- Go on a silent retreat. I googled "silent retreats in PA" and that's how I found the camp I went to.
2. Read the lyrics to old hymns. There is something amazing about reading songs to Jesus that have been passed down through the ages. A couple of hymns I discovered on my weekend were "Sanctuary" by William Runyan and "How Firm a Foundation" by George Keith.
3. Meditate on the Psalms. Psalms is full of rest meditations. Highlight words that indicate rest - "refuge, safety, wait, listen, etc."
- Psalm 23
- Psalm 131
- Psalm 16
- Psalm 31
- Psalm 3
- Psalm 46
- Psalm 37
- Psalm 62
4. Write about what Jesus is teaching you. Don't make it some scary task. It's not. Just pick up a pen or type, and see what He is revealing. Not only does it give you time to meditate on what you are learning, but it also "speaks" it into the atmosphere. It is so fun to go back and read old writings!
5. Explore with art. Draw, paint, collage. Don't be afraid to try new things! It is not about perfection, it is about exploring how you are hearing from God. I tried water colors and it was really neat to see the images I got for certain things. Then I was able to write prayers for those things.
"Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel." - Eleanor Brownn (It really is spelled with 2 "b's").
Picture taken by me in Northeast, Maryland.
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