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A spoken-word version of this week’s post
Learning to Rest In God: A Powerful Shift When You’ve Only Known Striving
Rest. We talk about it all the time, but honestly? For many of us, it feels impossible. We’ve been trained to fight, to strive, to keep pushing no matter what. Maybe you’ve been a prayer warrior for decades, or maybe you’ve poured out in motherhood or ministry until you had nothing left. Learning to rest in God feels foreign — like if you slow down, you’ll lose everything.
I prayed about this. I asked these questions, and Heaven responded. And what I received was so full of life, I want to share it with you exactly as it came.
Why Learning to Rest In God Changes Everything
Q1: “I’ve prayed for decades, but it feels like all giving, no receiving. How do I rest when I only know how to fight?”
Here’s what Jesus said:
True rest in God is given…it is only found in Me…when you are willing to yield the cares of the world over to Me. Like I said, “Cast your cares upon Me, for I care for you” (1 Peter 5:7). The choice is yours to hand them over. These are the things that I won for you through the shedding of My blood. I already paid for them. I took your burdens on My back at the cross.
My desire is that you would be yoked with Me…learn of Me…surrender yourself to My process which I already have for you. My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28–30). Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me. That means to learn My ways…to follow My example…to do it as I did it.
Rest in God means trust. When you are fully in rest, you’re fully trusting — no longer carrying fear, worry, or anxiety, because you know all is well and shall be well.
Jesus continued:
When you pray, give Me your petitions with an open hand. Give Me what you’re concerned about and allow Me to give you something in return — peace (Philippians 4:6–7). Trust in My ability to lead and guide you along your journey, to be Spirit-led. I will order your steps, give you counsel, show you what to do, or show you the provision. I will open doors, or close them. When you trust that I have you in My hands, you will begin to relax in the provision that is My rest in God’s presence, regardless of what you are facing.
And He painted this picture:
Focus on Me…meditate on My goodness and love for you. When you do this, you are focusing on what matters — I am your Source. I am bigger than anything you face. And when you can see Me, when you can see the activity of the Kingdom around you, it becomes easier to receive the victory that is already yours!
Think of Elisha and his servant (2 Kings 6:17)…allow Me to open your eyes to see the goodness of My Kingdom around you. When you know who you are and Whose you are, you realize there is no need to fight when I already hold the victory in My hand!
Wow. That one hit me hard.
Finding Rest in God’s Presence Brings Renewal
❓ Q2: “Motherhood and ministry left me drained. I want to know Him again without pressure — is resting really okay?”
As I prayed into this, what came was:
Resting is not only okay, it’s encouraged! “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9). God wants us to find rest in Him…and He calls us into it. The nature of His Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17) — so different from the chaos of this world. “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
I was reminded of all the imagery of rest in Scripture:
Walking with Him in Eden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8).
God resting on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2–3).
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures…He leads me beside still waters…He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2–3).
This is His invitation: to commune with Him in the garden of our hearts, to dwell under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1).
God draws us close not to judge our performance, but for intimacy, for relationship…to be still and know (Psalm 46:10). Jesus Himself often went off by Himself to pray (Luke 5:16)…to sit with the Father, to see what the Father was doing and say what the Father was saying (John 5:19).
And this is where the breakthrough came:
It’s all about alignment. When you step outside of alignment, you burn out…striving in your own strength “for God” instead of walking with Him. But when you are aligned, He provides the lift: “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
So yes — rest in God is holy, and it’s His way.
How to Rest In God Without Losing Your Edge
And then Lady Wisdom spoke:
My child, Heaven doesn’t see things the way you do. You think you need to be in constant motion, performance, or striving to obtain something. But how many times have you been encouraged to “Be still and know that I am God”? (Psalm 46:10). When you are in performance mode, you are leaning on your own strength and perspective. But God offers a different path — a path of rest — one that allows you to sit with Him and gain His perspective, a higher way.
Remember, He has ordered your steps (Psalm 37:23). If you are surrendered, He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5–6). Many times He will call you to do something (or not do something) that looks completely opposite of the world. But it is always better to follow His wisdom, for it is higher than man’s.
This is trust. It’s not laziness — it’s partnership with His ways. And as He promised: “Ask, and it will be given; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7). “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
Boom. That settled it for me.
Final Thoughts
Rest in God is trust. Rest in God is intimacy. Rest in God is wisdom. It’s not a downgrade — it’s the Kingdom way.
And when you rest in Him, your identity becomes clearer than ever. If you’ve wrestled with who you are to God, Who Am I in Heaven’s Eyes? is the perfect next read.
If you’ve been fighting so long that rest in God feels foreign, hear this: God is inviting you to breathe. To let go. To sit with Him in the cool of the day. To lay your burdens down and receive His peace.
Rest isn’t losing your edge — it’s stepping into His.
FAQ: Practicing Rest and Trust in Christ
Q: How do I rest when I only know how to fight?
Q: Is resting really okay as a believer?
Q: Will God think I’m lazy if I stop striving?
Points to Ponder
Where are you carrying a burden Jesus already paid for?
What does “alignment” in rest in God look like for you right now?
Which scripture here feels like a personal invitation to you?
💬 Drop your reflections in the comments — or take them straight into your own quiet time and ask Him about it.
