Psalm 62 (part 2) - Rest
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"My soul finds rest in God alone,
my salvation comes from Him.
Truly He is my rock and my salvation;
Truly He is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."
Psalm 62:1-2
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We live in such a crazed, fast-paced world. We go from putting in long hours at work, to compulsively checking email and finding ourselves unable to put our phones down at home for more than a few minutes at a time. And even if we have sick days allowed to us and a number of vacation days, most of us take only a small percentage of the time off from work that we could.
Maybe we feel guilty taking time away. Maybe we feel pressure - from our boss, our family, or our culture that tells us to do more not less. Maybe like this article suggests, we fear what the time off will cost us. Or maybe we just have gotten so used to the busyness that we find when we do take time off, we have a hard time enjoying that time away because we keep thinking about everything we should be getting done. Our brain won't shut off & let us rest.
So we take a vacation. That's what we need... go to another place and get away from it all. So what do we do? We plan a vacation & we fill it up with all the cool things we want to do while we're there. And when we come home, we are no more rested than when we left. In fact, you may hear parents of young kids say that vacations are more tiring. And if you're a part of that 61% who works while on vacation, then the whole point of allowing our mind and body to rest & recharge is compromised.
Technology does not help in this endeavor for rest either. With high speed WiFi and the ability to check that inbox from anywhere in the world, it is no wonder that we feel bogged down. The sheer amount of information that comes at us in a day is unparalleled to any other time in history. Never before have humans been so quickly connected to one another all over the world and it is all thanks to the internet. Don't get me wrong. I love the fact that having a computer and internet connection means that my kids can see their grandparents miles away. In some ways, technology is truly a gift. But on the other hand, it has brought so much clutter with it. Tech clutter, information clutter. With millions of pieces of information hitting us every day and from all sides, our brains quickly become overloaded. It's like when your device freezes up because you were trying to run too many apps or programs at once. It's the same with us. Our bodies and minds need time to recharge and process information & events. This "recharging" time is so critical to our mind & body, that when we fail to get enough, our bodies simply start to shut down. For some, this may look like depression or intense anxiety. We may start sleeping more often, eating more (or less) than we should, or become irrational and irritable. Or maybe stress presents itself physically in the form of headaches, unexplained aches & pains, digestion and bowel problems like constipation or diarrhea. All of these things are signs that our body is overloaded & should signal to us to take a break.
"Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets," essayist Tim Kreider wrote in The New York Times. "The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration—it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done."
And Ferris Jabr states in the Scientific American journal that, "Downtime replenishes the brain’s stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life. A wandering mind unsticks us in time so that we can learn from the past and plan for the future. Moments of respite may even be necessary to keep one’s moral compass in working order and maintain a sense of self."
It is not just in recent years that experts have been telling us to put aside our work and take a break. For the sake of our health, both mental & physical, the Lord established a day of rest so that our bodies would not be overwhelmed. When God gave the 10 commandments to the people of Israel, included in this list - along with "have no other gods before me", "honor your father and mother", "do not murder, steal or commit adultery" - is the Lord's admonition to "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy". If you're not sure what the Sabbath is or why we should remember it, it's okay....hang with me for a minute and I think it will make sense.
Exodus 20:8-11
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Dictionary.com tells us that the word "sabbath" refers to "a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday." The word sabbath comes from a Hebrew word "Šābat" which means "to rest". Yup, you heard me right. Rest.
The 3rd commandment from the Lord to his people is an important one. Rest from your work, just as the Lord himself rested after He created the world. I remember when stores used to be closed on Sundays. Remember that? My family would gather around the table for Sunday lunch after church - that was my favorite time. A break from the normal routine. Family time, and maybe a nap. When was the last time you took a nap, my friend? Do yourself a favor - unplug. Do not let your devices or your schedule RULE you. Master your self and your time. Be intentional. Turn your phone off (*gasp!), leave the TV off, and instead maybe soak in the tub, or take a cup of tea to a quiet corner and just let your mind wander. It is in these moments that of quiet that our mind body can recharge. It is only in the quiet that we can process all the information & events that inundate us. This is why God calls us to be still. "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
There are over 28 verses in the Bible that have to do with being still or quiet or waiting patiently before the Lord. Asheritah gives us a wonderful list of these verses about rest in her blog onethingalone.com. Here is part of her list:
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Rest is very important to God. I think this is because when we take the time to still our hearts before the Lord, it reminds us who is really in control, and my friend, it's not us.
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So, why is it so hard for us to let go? Why is it that we hurry from one activity to another at break neck speed? I think that much of this stems from what we value most. When we care most about how we look in the eyes of other people (who are just as flawed & selfish as we are, by the way), instead of how we look in the eyes of our Creator (who is flawless, unchanging, and incapable of any evil) then we will always be anxious and restless. But when we learn to value the kind words of our Creator over what any person might say to us, that is when we will truly find rest. Rest that looks and feels like freedom. Rest that relinquishes our need for control & perfection. The reality is that we can accomplish neither. We have very limited control over the events, situations and people that affect us so readily. And the beauty of it is that we don't have to. We were never meant to be in control. And the only person to ever walk this earth in perfection was Jesus Christ - the sinless son of God who lived in perfection so that we don't have to, and who conquered death so that we don't have to be separated from God forever. It's up to you, my friend. Will you value the words of mere men? Or will you lean in with your heart & mind and let the healing words of the Lord bring you the rest & freedom you need?
"For the wages (or harvest) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23
"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Romans 7:24&25
"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."
Romans 8:5-6
REST. Be still. It's really okay. Remember, you don't have to be perfect. And you definitely don't have to be in control - God's got that covered. All you have to do is let go.
➼➼The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14➼➼
*If you ever have questions about my blog or something I've written, please leave a comment below, shoot me an email (sarahesiemen@gmail.com) or find me on facebook.
I would love to hear from you!
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References Cited:
Psychology Today - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/make-your-brain-smarter/201406/why-your-mind-needs-break
Scientific American - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/
Sandra Bond Chapman Ph.D. with Psychology Today wrote an article stating the following:"A survey by Harris Interactive for the career Web site Glassdoor found that three out of four workers with paid vacation do not use all of their leave. The average employee, in fact, uses only half. But even those who take time off often bring the office along, via laptops, tablets, and cell phones. In the same survey, 61 percent of respondents said they work while on vacation, with cited reasons including fear of falling behind, the desire for a promotion, and concern about losing a job. In short, employees fear that time away could cost them something."
So we take a vacation. That's what we need... go to another place and get away from it all. So what do we do? We plan a vacation & we fill it up with all the cool things we want to do while we're there. And when we come home, we are no more rested than when we left. In fact, you may hear parents of young kids say that vacations are more tiring. And if you're a part of that 61% who works while on vacation, then the whole point of allowing our mind and body to rest & recharge is compromised.
Technology does not help in this endeavor for rest either. With high speed WiFi and the ability to check that inbox from anywhere in the world, it is no wonder that we feel bogged down. The sheer amount of information that comes at us in a day is unparalleled to any other time in history. Never before have humans been so quickly connected to one another all over the world and it is all thanks to the internet. Don't get me wrong. I love the fact that having a computer and internet connection means that my kids can see their grandparents miles away. In some ways, technology is truly a gift. But on the other hand, it has brought so much clutter with it. Tech clutter, information clutter. With millions of pieces of information hitting us every day and from all sides, our brains quickly become overloaded. It's like when your device freezes up because you were trying to run too many apps or programs at once. It's the same with us. Our bodies and minds need time to recharge and process information & events. This "recharging" time is so critical to our mind & body, that when we fail to get enough, our bodies simply start to shut down. For some, this may look like depression or intense anxiety. We may start sleeping more often, eating more (or less) than we should, or become irrational and irritable. Or maybe stress presents itself physically in the form of headaches, unexplained aches & pains, digestion and bowel problems like constipation or diarrhea. All of these things are signs that our body is overloaded & should signal to us to take a break.
"Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets," essayist Tim Kreider wrote in The New York Times. "The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration—it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done."
And Ferris Jabr states in the Scientific American journal that, "Downtime replenishes the brain’s stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life. A wandering mind unsticks us in time so that we can learn from the past and plan for the future. Moments of respite may even be necessary to keep one’s moral compass in working order and maintain a sense of self."
Exodus 20:8-11
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Dictionary.com tells us that the word "sabbath" refers to "a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday." The word sabbath comes from a Hebrew word "Šābat" which means "to rest". Yup, you heard me right. Rest.
The 3rd commandment from the Lord to his people is an important one. Rest from your work, just as the Lord himself rested after He created the world. I remember when stores used to be closed on Sundays. Remember that? My family would gather around the table for Sunday lunch after church - that was my favorite time. A break from the normal routine. Family time, and maybe a nap. When was the last time you took a nap, my friend? Do yourself a favor - unplug. Do not let your devices or your schedule RULE you. Master your self and your time. Be intentional. Turn your phone off (*gasp!), leave the TV off, and instead maybe soak in the tub, or take a cup of tea to a quiet corner and just let your mind wander. It is in these moments that of quiet that our mind body can recharge. It is only in the quiet that we can process all the information & events that inundate us. This is why God calls us to be still. "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
There are over 28 verses in the Bible that have to do with being still or quiet or waiting patiently before the Lord. Asheritah gives us a wonderful list of these verses about rest in her blog onethingalone.com. Here is part of her list:
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1
The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. Habakkuk 2:20
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:103
My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Psalm 131:1-2
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14
And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. Mark 6:31
Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders. Job 37:14
Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Psalm 4:4
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:32
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Psalm 107:29
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17
And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you. 1 Thes 4:11
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Psalm 37:372
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15
Rest is very important to God. I think this is because when we take the time to still our hearts before the Lord, it reminds us who is really in control, and my friend, it's not us.
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So, why is it so hard for us to let go? Why is it that we hurry from one activity to another at break neck speed? I think that much of this stems from what we value most. When we care most about how we look in the eyes of other people (who are just as flawed & selfish as we are, by the way), instead of how we look in the eyes of our Creator (who is flawless, unchanging, and incapable of any evil) then we will always be anxious and restless. But when we learn to value the kind words of our Creator over what any person might say to us, that is when we will truly find rest. Rest that looks and feels like freedom. Rest that relinquishes our need for control & perfection. The reality is that we can accomplish neither. We have very limited control over the events, situations and people that affect us so readily. And the beauty of it is that we don't have to. We were never meant to be in control. And the only person to ever walk this earth in perfection was Jesus Christ - the sinless son of God who lived in perfection so that we don't have to, and who conquered death so that we don't have to be separated from God forever. It's up to you, my friend. Will you value the words of mere men? Or will you lean in with your heart & mind and let the healing words of the Lord bring you the rest & freedom you need?
"For the wages (or harvest) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23
"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Romans 7:24&25
"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."
Romans 8:5-6
REST. Be still. It's really okay. Remember, you don't have to be perfect. And you definitely don't have to be in control - God's got that covered. All you have to do is let go.
➼➼The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14➼➼
*If you ever have questions about my blog or something I've written, please leave a comment below, shoot me an email (sarahesiemen@gmail.com) or find me on facebook.
I would love to hear from you!
➼➼➼➼➼➼➼➼➼➼➼➼➼➼➼➼
References Cited:
Psychology Today - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/make-your-brain-smarter/201406/why-your-mind-needs-break
Scientific American - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/
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