He Restores My Soul - Choosing the Journey of Restoration

Written then adapted for a message for our annual Women's Retreat through church in 2020.

Symptoms indicated that all was not well . . .

Outbursts of anger,

frequent frustration,

bitterness taking root within my heart that led to unkind thoughts in my head.

My soul felt stressed and strained . . . sick.

I don’t know what this current season looks like for you, but I would imagine it hasn’t been easy.

Perhaps certain areas of your life are broken, strained, or even running on empty.

Perhaps, like me, you have been longing for peace, rest, and hope to be restored within your heart & home. In what areas of your life do you feel stress, strain, or sickness?

Or maybe a better question would be…when you are feeling stress, strain, or sickness - what kinds of thoughts, words, or actions surface? What are some unhealthy symptoms that have surfaced during this stormy season that may indicate that all is not well?

Restoration is a beautiful journey that will look different for each of us. God’s desire is to see us thrive and flourish - to restore our mind, body, and soul.

RESTORATION IS NOT RELIEF

As we begin the journey of restoration and allow God to tend to our unhealthy symptoms, we must understand that restoration is not relief.

Relief is short-term. Restoration is long-term. Relief is temporary. Restoration is a journey.

Relief looks like instant gratification, over-indulging, stuffing & suppressing emotions, excuses, numbing pain, chasing happiness, reacting with an immediate “yes”, and comfortable or convenient choices.

Restoration looks like responsibility and self-control, setting healthy boundaries, acknowledging emotions, commitment, goal-setting, working through pain, choosing joy, responding with a well thought-out “no”, and difficult choices.

Have you been settling for relief in your stormy season when God is calling you to a journey of restoration?

Restoration begins when we choose to say “no” to the things that control us and keep us in bondage, and we choose to say “yes” to Him and only Him.

REST IS BEST

David writes in Psalm 62:5,

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.”

REST is where the journey of restoration begins.

HOPE is where the journey of restoration leads.

For many of us, rest has a negative connotation.

It means stopping an activity, maybe losing ground on a project or task, missing out on something, coming across as weak or lazy.

We have become convinced by our culture that rest is a negative thing . . . that busy is best.

But busy isn’t best; rest is best.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG paraphrase),

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

I don’t know about you but the promise of living freely and lightly - of being able to say “it is well with my soul” - sounds incredible.

So why rest?

Jesus introduces the concept of rest but then a sentence later, “walk with me and work with me”.

These seem to be contradictory concepts, right? Maybe it’s because we don’t have a healthy understanding of rest. To truly understand rest and the crucial role it plays within our journey of restoration, we need to go back to the very beginning. Genesis 1-2. Creation.

MENUHA

On the seventh day of creation, God rested. God was the very first to introduce this concept of rest, to implore His people to observe the Sabbath - a day of rest - as a part of their lives, and then Jesus carried the importance of this concept into His teachings as well.

Menuha means “rest” in Hebrew.

When looking at the story of creation, rest was created by God. It was a concept that did not previously exist. However, this concept is countercultural. It goes against our human nature. Which is why God literally had to make it a law for His people to follow.

After hundreds of years, God delivered His people from bondage in Egypt and introduced them to the Ten Commandments which included honoring a Sabbath day - one day set apart for rest out of seven. After living in slavery for so long, they had no idea what a healthy lifestyle looked like. God introduced the Sabbath as a remedy for His sick people. A gift. His desire was to see them restored to health as a nation.

Remember what Jesus taught in Matthew? Walk with me. Work with me. I will teach you the unforced rhythms of grace - I will show you real rest. Menuha.

Rest is earned. It is not an excuse for laziness or slothfulness.

God did not set apart six days for rest and one day for work. He introduced a rhythm of rest that is earned after hard work and discipline.

Rest will look different for each one of us, and it is an important practice for all areas of our life - physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, & spiritually.

Here are some ideas:

• Go to bed earlier than normal.

• Limit screen time (especially before bedtime and right away in the morning).

• Say “no” to the unkind thoughts on repeat and replace them with truth from God’s Word.

• Take time to breathe a few prayers of thanksgiving during the day.

• Schedule an evening or two at home this week just for family time.

• Plan a date night with your spouse

• Send a friend a handwritten letter with encouragement.

• Call a family member just to chat.

• Acknowledge and appreciate the beauty in nature all around you.

• Walk with God daily by weaving Him into each moment instead of simply squeezing Him into a box labeled “Quiet Time” or “Devotion Time”.

HOPE IN HIM

When we choose to say “yes” to rest as the beginning of our restoration journey and invite God back into the space and margin that we create within our lives, we remember the hope that we have.

We have hope in Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. We have hope because no matter what happens in our homes, our communities, and our world, He has overcome and He is coming back for us. We have hope because we will someday rest with Him for all of eternity.

Though the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy, God promises to redeem, renew, and restore us through Jesus Christ.

When God introduced the Sabbath principle of rest to His people, it was for one purpose: WORSHIP.

Worship refocuses and recenters our hearts on God and God alone.

Worship is our response to this Creator God who has breathed His very life within us, who relentlessly pursues us with His redeeming love and who beckons us to draw near to Him each and every day.

Worship takes the focus off of us and our stormy season and back on to God, the One who deserves our unending praise and gratitude for all that He has done for us.

As we begin to worship God and allow His hope to fill our heart, mind, and soul, He will transform us from the inside out. Our choices will begin to reflect Him and His character and in areas of our lives where we might have turned to short-term relief in the past, we will now recognize that we are indeed on a long-term journey of restoration.

Symptoms of a healthy mind, body, and soul will begin to surface naturally in our lives the more we spend time with God.

Because of God’s great love for us, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, and because of His Holy Spirit living within us each day, restoration for our mind, body, & soul is possible.

Let us then rest in the hope we have through Jesus and make room for His peace, power, and presence within our daily lives so that we may experience the restoration of His relentless, redeeming love.