Sweet Rest

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength.

Psalm 23:2-3

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel as though a stressed-out state is the norm. Feeling rested and peaceful seems to be a rarity for our culture. Many of us experience sleep deprivation, but when we add the stresses and troubles of everyday life or full-fledged suffering, we’ve got the recipe for physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational exhaustion.

I’m guessing you can relate. Just because we live in an age where things have become easier for us doesn’t mean we won’t feel worn out. Glance at Psalms and you’ll see that weariness has always had the power to catch up with anyone, no matter when or where they lived. People often talk of the past in nostalgic terms, calling them simpler times (“those were the days”), but actually we humans have been wearing ourselves out since the Fall in the Garden of Eden.

Kings are no exception. David surely felt worn out repeatedly. His words in Psalm 23 are like balm to the spent spirit. When we feel like we have to keep running at a frenetic pace just to meet the demands placed on us, it is freeing to read that God “lets” us rest in green meadows.

Quiet yourself right now. What do you hear? Can you feel the soft breeze of that calm meadow? God gives us permission to rest! Then He leads us by peaceful streams, and in the process He renews our strength.

No matter how busy life is, God gives us permission to get away with Him and enjoy His rest. That may happen in five minutes or fifty, but He is capable of giving all of us the rest we need today.

Read Psalm 23. Thank Jesus Christ for giving us permission to rest in Him. He knows we need it, so go ahead and take a break today—with no guilt!