How To Rest In God? (In A Digital World)

We can agree that we’ve heard about God’s rest or the idea of being in God’s rest. What does that mean? What is God’s rest? How to rest in God?

However, it’s a lot simpler than we think.

Most people get the idea that rest is being lazy and doing nothing while I can assure you there’s a little more to it.

What is Rest?

Great question!

Rest is a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities freedom from activity or labor, a state of motionlessness or a place for resting or lodging, peace of mind or spirit.

As I was vacationing in New York this past Spring, I missed a step walking down the subway stairs and rolled my ankle! Y’all, I’m really clumsy but I’d never thought the second day exploring I’d do something like that. Some hours went by and I started complaining to my husband how my foot was beginning to hurt. By this point, I could barely walk. My husband, who is a supreme athlete, checked it out and said “Yup, you sprained it…We’re gonna have to rest it.” Afterward, we hobbled back to the hotel and I propped my swollen foot up and did some rehab. What that means is that every 1-2 hours, I applied slight pressure and tried to exercise it.

The next day, my foot was as good as new. It was as if I had never injured myself at all. I say that to say this; in order for my ankle to have been refreshed, I had to take the pressure off. I had to slowly build the strength to bring it to full recovery.

How did Elijah rest in God?

There’s a story in the bible where a prophet named Elijah was running from Jezebel because she wanted all the prophets killed. (1 Kings 19) Elijah went into the wilderness and was so exhausted that he sat down under a tree. He begged the LORD to take his life because he couldn’t take the onslaught. An angel came to Elijah and provided hot food and cold water, instructing him to eat and drink. Elijah nourished himself with the food provided by the angel and fell asleep. The angel came to Elijah a second time instructing him to get up and eat because the journey was too big. Elijah ate again and the food sustained him for forty days.

Elijah took a rest and was strengthened by the LORD for forty days! He took the time to eat, drink and sleep for him to be ready for the journey ahead. If we take time to rest ourselves in the person of Jesus, we’ll be physically, mentally, spiritually prepared for the next season of life ahead.

What does Resting in God look like?

Here’s the irony, resting in God is not just about stopping our physical labor but it has a lot more to do with our inner efforts. 

In previous seasons of life, my mind would go back and forth with all the anxieties of life. All the worry and all discontentment etched its way in my heart. My heart was simply not at rest. As I started to look at the most quoted scripture in the bible about rest, I began to grasp this simple understanding:

‘The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for his namesake.’– Psalm 23

Thank you to The Giving Keys for allowing me to express God’s rest in the form of fashion. Check out their new Faith Collection live now!

Resting in God is the idea of our hearts being tucked in goodnight by your parents. Our hearts can be at peace with Jesus Christ. If we meditate and fix our hearts and minds on God, as a result He will make His home (habitation) in our hearts and there is a stillness that is experienced. 

“…the effect of righteousness will be peace and the result of righteousness, quietness, and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”  -Isaiah 32:17-20

How To Rest in God in a Digital World?

Jesus Christ, the redeemer of the world, who died on the cross for our inconsistencies, opened up His peace and called us to enter His rest. In the word, He actually talks about those who rebel against His voice, will not enter into his rest. (Hebrews 4:11) To rest in God in a digital world, we need to allow our minds to sit in silence. We have to remember the anxiety we feel when it comes to social media is only smoke and mirrors. We view the highlight reels and become anxious and overwhelmed. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a day or two away from the social world and open up your ears to hear what God is saying to you. I pray that you experience His peace.

Find Your Rest In God

Our world is telling us to do more in the same way God is saying to us “Stop and look at me.” If we rest in God, we find Him strengthening and restoring us. For instance, like my injury above and Elijah’s story, we had to rest in order to gain our footing again, which then only made us stronger in the end. God is calling us to a place to stop and just be. He wants us to understand how to rest in Jesus by etching the perfect work of the cross into our hearts. We then experience His peace, which is where we will experience His rest.

When you rest in God, don’t think that something is being taken away but multiplication is being applied. In the resting, you’ll find peace and a refreshing. He’ll begin to remove, rearrange, and recalibrate things in your heart. In these moments you’ll find that you had to give up your will and pride for Him to work. Find hope and be encouraged that when the resting period is over the amount of strength is more than what you started with. Be assured that as you lean back into God, that he is covering you with His loving arms.