Find rest, O my soul, in God alone. Psalm 62:5a
This promise speaks to me of prayer.
The word P.R.A.Y. is a helpful tool for me as I explore ways to find rest for my soul.
P. Pause
A momentary halt. Even though my intentional time with God happens early in the morning, my mind is already racing, running full steam ahead. Stillness involves a quieted heart. The word pause helps me acknowledge the holy reverence of coming before the Throne of the mighty, creative, passionate God of all the universe. I pause, recognizing his presence.
R. Rejoice
Gratitude alters a relationship. Entitlement is ugly. Taking time to recognize God’s goodness is a gift to me, and a gift to God. Sometimes I sing. Sometimes I reflect on the names and character of God. Sometimes I share with him a very specific list of overdue, heartfelt “thank yous.”
A. Attend
This is where I choose to be intentionally still. I recognize that I am homesick. Hungry. Longing. My soul finds a resting place. I acknowledge the mystery and miracle of stillness. I don’t have to fully understand it. Many days I find a deep satisfaction in the Presence of God. Some days I’m too flighty, too distracted or too rushed. Intentional stillness prepares my heart to be more attentive, more watchful of his presence the rest of the day. Sometimes this quiet time lasts for seconds, sometimes minutes. Sometimes I ask, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” (Joshua 5:14c)
Y. Yield
Then I dig into God’s Word. I have a passionate hunger for the words of God. I want to be equally passionate about yielding to his way, his plans, his purposes. It is a lifelong journey. In regard to Bible study, someone once challenged me to “Go slow. Live it. Pray it through.” Too often in my zeal I read too much. There is power in one, long, slow sip. When I do that, his Word is more inclined to sink deeply into my soul and not run off a hardened heart.
First question. Is my ability to find rest for my soul linked to the time I take to P. R. A. Y.?
Psalm 46:10 is a favorite, but we must take the time to read the whole verse, the whole psalm. Too often we stop short.
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
The exaltation of God.
Second question. Is the exaltation of God in my life, through my life linked to my ability to be still, and know?
(This is #4 of a 5-part series on prayer. Blessings!)
Is This Your First Time Here?
Welcome!
Run hard. Rest well. launched in March 2013. We’d like to invite you to subscribe to this weekly blog. The information to do so is located on the right hand side of this page. I’d also like to encourage you to read the first 8 weeks of posts on the right hand side. (But no rush. Go slow.) Start with Week 1. Each post is numbered and lays an important foundational insight into the life-giving rhythm Run hard. Rest well.
God’s richest blessings.
Brenda
Hi Brenda! Your brother Paul shared a link to your blog on Facebook. I love your work (especially your profile!) and the notion of rest as pursuit. I never thought of it that way but wow, do I need to! I forget how critical it is in my journey with Christ. I look forward to reading all your future posts. Check out my site when you have a few seconds.
Wendy,
Love your title — Secretary of Transportation for the State of Chaos and confusion! Ah!
President Street. Small world. And Paul — there could be no better little brother in the whole wide world. Thank God for him every day.
May this “pursuit of rest” take us all to new places…forever changed and refueled.
Rest well!
Brenda
“Go slow. Live it. Pray it through.” Love this! As I finished my journey through the Word, cover to cover; I wondered why people put a rushed timeline on it. I am a reader. I can finish a 1,500 page novel in 3 days. But my 1,140 page bible took me over a year (maybe a year + 1/2). In my journey I realized God has more to say than any human author; it takes more time to absorb it. “I am not reading the bible, no God is filling me with his word”
Some of our tried true sayings and prayers are rushed: Jesus loves me, Our Father who art in heaven…..We say them so often that it goes in and out like a waterfall rushing over the cliff. However slowing it down: J-E-S-U-S L-O-O-O-V-E-S m-e-e-e-e-e!-! The words are more impacting more meaningful like a brook that gently moves in the breeze….
Erin,
Margin. Breathing space. An unhurried moment with Jesus.
It wakes our sleepy soul and breathes new life.
I love your “slow go.” I allows us to savor.
Blessings!
We have our GNO (Girl’s Night Out) retreat this weekend. It is my pause between to busy work days. I hope you don’t mind, I am going to share this post with my GNO gang. I think they will enjoy this.
You’re making my day! Was the retreat last weekend or this coming one? Praying it was (or it will be) a breath of fresh air to keep you running with Joy. How long has your GNO been meeting? What a gift to have people to love, learn and laugh with. Blessings!
GNO has been going on for quite a few years, I am not sure how many (5 or 5?). However our pastor is retiring and decided to bring our GNO leader with him (his wife Janet :). I don’t know what next season will bring for our group, but God knows. Our retreat is tomorrow night into Saturday.
Brenda,
My sister sent our family the link to this post this morning. I don’t think she’s aware of how fitting this is to my wife’s and my journey. Despite being pregnant with our third (and due any day!), God has been touching our hearts very consistently for the last several months, if not a year, to rest. For me (less for her, as she’s much further along), I’ve been longing to, and asking how to, abide in Jesus’ love, like He speaks about in John 15. Your post is helpful in giving me a tool to practice that. Your title and invitation at the bottom give me such hope for change in my life: There are other people out there who desire, long for what I do! People who see rest as an active pursuit (I love that). I couldn’t find a blog whose title and description could capture more what I’m really seeking.
I could go on. It’s like my heart is bursting with hope for more of Jesus in a new way after reading your words. Thank you, Brenda, for following Jesus and sharing about it. And thank you, Jesus.
Hi Josh,
I began to reply and then got pulled away. My note disappeared. Don’t know if it will show up or not.
First — thank you sister for me. Know I’m praying for the gift before you, your wife and your two children as you wait for this day of Joy! I will be praying.
I hear the hunger God has placed in your heart and rejoice with you — thanking God that we can share in this journey, both to be blessed and be a blesses. Just yesterday, I finished compiling the first 12 weeks of blogs into a “book.” It will likely be an e-book made available soon. 6 months ago, this project was basically done, with only a few hours of needed attention. I had to lay that project aside Aug 15. I picked it back up for the first time February 15. On August 15 my 19 year old son, Josh, entered the world of Palliative/Hospice Care. We’ve been living and are still living on the Front Porch of Heaven. In recent weeks, the Lord has laid this project on my heart in a pressing way. It only needed 5 hours of work. The book was finished last night about 6. It was written a year ago when we were deep in the trenches of medical mystery and 90 days in the hospital with Josh. We serve One who is indeed Almighty and chooses to use the weakest and least able. What you read today is one of the 25 “devotions” that make up the book. Pray with me that God will use what He has begun to bring Life and Vibrancy to us all.
Onward.
Eyes on Jesus.
Brenda