Devotionals for the Heart: We can find the rest our soul needs in God

Rest for Our Souls
A devotional by Joy Beless

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”—Psalm 62:5-8 (NIV)

What is shaking your world? The news bytes of the last 48 hours are enough to convince me to stay in bed with the covers over my head!

What is shaking your family’s world–conflict, exhaustion, financial need? I don’t need to convince you of the stressful and seemingly dangerous world we live in. And yet, was it not the same for King David who wrote the Bible book of Psalms?

Many people think that King David wrote this psalm in the anchor text above at the time his son, Absalom attempted to overthrow the government in rebellion against his own father’s authority and kingship. Rather than wait until David dies to reign, Absalom decides to accelerate the timeline. The story does not begin here but rather has evolved over years of division and conflict.

We each have a story that evolves over time and needs a course correction and desperate prayer for help. When our family of six lived in Tokyo (Japan), I had to learn a new way to live. Moving from a Dallas (Texas) suburb to live in Tokyo required a different way for me to do the most mundane things like buy groceries, visit the bank, and navigate the city driving on the left side of the road. I was trying to learn the language and culture while parenting four children. Then the “9/11” tragedy occurred in the USA during this time and the whole world changed overnight. I became so stressed and anxious that my hair literally fell out. I developed the autoimmune alopecia condition. There was so much I could not control—except for resting and trusting in the Lord. I knew I could not continue in the same way underneath all this stress and uncertainty life was hurling at me.

What about your story? Even as you read this devotional, what thoughts are surfacing and lurking beneath the veneer? Both domestically and internationally, the newsfeed at our fingertips reminds us that we live in perilous times—just like David. So perhaps we can learn some coping strategies from David and this psalm.

In Psalm 62:5-8, David declares where his rest and hope come from: God—pure and simple. No contingency or exit plans. What do you need rest “from”? What kind of rest? According to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, there are several different kinds of rest that we need to feel restored. Physical, mental, social, and emotional rest are just some of the areas we need to bring calm and space into our lives.

Some important questions we can ask ourselves are:

What do we need “less of” to restore our mind, body, and soul?

What do we need “more of” to renew our mind, body, and soul?

What life patterns are contributing to our current stressed life?

What changes can we identify and control that are restorative?

I quickly realized I needed to make some changes when life seemed to spiral downward. I was in an exhaustive state trying to juggle all the “plates” of family and ministry. I realized our Sundays in church and at home were as busy as the other six days in the week, so I began to scale back extra activities. This was hard and impacted our children’s activities the most. However, not only I but the whole family needed more time to rest. We made Sundays in our household a day to restore, relax, and slow down the pace.

I realized my morning habit of walking was squeezed out of the day’s agenda and recognized my need to be outside and have some space of margin in my life, so I made that a priority. Reluctantly, I let go of my language class after two years, as I identified that as very stressful. I began to listen to music that calmed my soul and brought me joy. Playing it in the background seemed to bring down the stress of the whole household, not just mine! Lastly, I began to share with trusted people about what I was experiencing and identify the emotions that were building up ready to spew like a volcano! I learned not only was this giving me emotional and mental rest, but also modeling an important life skill for my children who were entering their teen years.

King David said in the Bible book of Psalm, that it is in God he finds rest for his soul. David trusted God with his kingdom and personal worries and when he reached an old age in his lifetime, he was confident that God is trustworthy to be present in difficult times. David reminds himself who God is to him: his hope, rock, salvation, fortress, honor, and refuge (Psalm 62:5-8). That is quite a list. As you slowly read over the list again, which word seems inviting to you in your present circumstances? Are there some areas in your life that need adjusting with “more of” or “less of”? Ask God to lead you in this process of seeking rest then follow Him into the rest your body and soul needs.

Let’s Pray:

Dear God,

Truly You are the source of rest for our souls. We are thankful that You are a rock in our ever-changing world! Thank You for being a refuge of peace for us. We are grateful to pour out our hearts to You.

In Jesus’s Name, I pray.

Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Find Rest” by Francesca Battistelli. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Joy Beless is a worshipper of God and lover of people. 

A practicing Spiritual Director, she is a speaker for retreats and conferences and facilitates guided solitude retreats at the family ranch in North Texas.

A seasoned worship leader and songwriter, she frequently weaves worship, God’s Word and spiritual practices together. She is a chapel provider for a shelter for the houseless and a certified Grief and Trauma Healing Facilitator. Serving at global retreats for Kingdom-minded women delights her soul.

She has written for Global Trellis and Missio Nexus. She connects God’s Word with the reality of our daily in all the ups and downs.

Joy is married to Roger. They live in Coppell (Texas). Joy is called "JoJo" by her nine adorable grandchildren. She enjoys the outdoors and encourages flowers to grow in the Texas heat.

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Connect with Joy:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joy.beless
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Website: www.joybeless.org