Permission to Rest

Read Psalm 23

Psalm 23:2

Psalm 23:2

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

There is always work to be done. It will never end, but if you don’t stop to rest, you will end. The only question is will you physically wear out first or mentally wear out first? Your body is an engine. It needs fuel, maintenance, and rest. You may feel this is common sense, but let me ask you an important question. Why do you continue to burn the candle on both ends and strive for an imaginary trophy? Who are you competing against?

I remember early on in ministry when I realized I was not in a normal 9 to 5 job. There were not set hours where I could clock in and begin work and then clock out at 5:00 PM to relax and rest for the evening. I learned that each work day was different, and establishing a routine workflow would not be possible. Sometimes ministry demanded attention in the evening hours, sometimes a crisis would erupt on my “off” day. Long story short, I learned that rest is easily interrupted, so instead of scheduling it I decided to welcome it whenever it presented itself.

If you have a lot of demands on you, whether through your work or your family responsibilities, let me extend you a permission slip. You have God’s permission to rest. Yes, there will always be things that MUST be done. But if you find yourself in a moment when taking a breath is possible. Take advantage of it and rest.

In my story I didn’t schedule rest into my life, but I decided to take advantage of it when it became available. In other words, when something on my calendar falls through I don’t replace it with another item. I take it as God's invitation to rest and spend time with Him. I can already hear you sighing, but read Psalm 23:2 again. He “makes me lie down in green pastures.” He knows what I need even when I don’t realize my fuel tank is running low. And since God is the one who provides my rest opportunities I decided that I would not feel guilty about resting!

Ah, that’s it! Isn’t it?

You feel guilty about resting, don’t you? You’re worried what other people may think or say, aren’t you? You're competing against the "idea" of what someone else thinks you should do or be.

Stop it! That's a one way ticket to exhaustion.

God created your body to need rest. This will keep your engine strong. Rest, my friend. God knows you need it.

Dear God, I feel a pressure to always be on. To get work done. To accomplish things. Lord, make me lie down in green pastures. Give me a chance to rest. Amen

Josh Huisman is the senior pastor of New Hope Community Church in Brentwood, TN.

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