“Grr.. this computer is glitching and frozen again!” I cried in frustration. Yep, we’ve all been there. And if you call tech support or ask a computer-savvy friend for help, what’s the first thing they will ask you? “Did you unplug and restart it?” In her book, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope, Anne Lamott says, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you.” When the worries of the world weigh us down, God can bring rest for our souls if we unplug, rest, and allow Him to recharge us.
How to Find Rest for Our Souls
Unplug
Silence and solitude make space for God to bring rest for our souls, something our busy lives often push aside. It’s important to pause from our frenzied schedules and the toll they take on our minds, hearts, and bodies. Taking a break from technology, social media, news, and worldly worries creates room for God’s presence. Stepping aside from work, ministry, and family duties allows us to rest, pray, and recharge with Him.
The Lord Himself demonstrated the need for rest. On the seventh day, after creating the world, God rested. Genesis 2:2-3. Additionally, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16 NIV).
Silence and solitude allow us to clear our cluttered minds. Then, like Elijah, once we remove all the worldly distractions, we may be able to hear God’s still small voice: “And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12 (KJV).
Rest
Jesus invites us to enter His rest. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV).
The rest Jesus provides is more than physical; it is spiritual. The writer of Hebrews states, “for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:10-11, NIV).
This verse means more than ceasing from labor. The Hebrew word for works, ergon, refers to work, deeds, actions, behavior, and requirements. Those who accept God’s rest not only stop their own labors, but they also stop striving to earn salvation through the law. When we cease striving and trust Christ’s finished work, we receive true rest for our souls. We find peace in His completed work on the cross.
Recharge By Being Still
We can recharge from the inside out by drawing close to the Lord and being still in His sacred presence. In the Bible, God instructed us to, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, NIV).
I have always taken this verse literally, as in stop moving and striving to solve all life’s problems in my own strength. However, I believe this verse means much more than that. The Hebrew word translated as “still” is “rāpâ.” “Rāpâ” means: hang limp, sink down, let alone, let go, withdraw, or abandon.
Friend, God is not just telling us to stop moving or working, He is asking us to still our minds and anxious hearts and be genuinely present in His presence. This is because God knows the difficulties and distractions of our lives can cause us to forget the greatness of His power.
Through stillness, we can enter God’s sacred presence, where He quiets our hearts and provides rest for our souls. When we pray, release our worries and burdens into His care, and trust and thank Him for doing so, our hearts are enveloped in His peace that transcends understanding. This peace recharges our souls and spirits.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Finding Rest for Our Souls
So, Friend, choose to pause and unplug today. Step aside from the noise and reach for the rest Jesus offers you. Seek Him and be still until His presence quiets your mind and His peace recharges your heart. Allow His peace to mend your weary soul and spirit.
And if you’re thinking, “I haven’t done this well”, don’t worry. You are not alone. I’ve failed at this, too. However, God is gracious and merciful. He continues to gently call me back, reminding me that His peace is always available.
So, give it another try today. Unplug. Rest. Be still. And let the God who restores all things recharge your soul.
1 Anne Lamott, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope (New York: Riverhead Books, 2018), 12
Related Reading
Rest For The Soul: A Self-Care Challenge
