Resting In God

Psalm 23: 1-2 (ESV)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

I love these verses: they often bring me peace when I am feeling stressed and out of control. I imagine this beautiful meadow by a river, where everything is calm and gentle.

We live in a busy world with so much vying for our attention. We have access to information whenever we want it. For most of us, our lives can be over-busy. Our society values busyness: there seems to be an invisible ‘badge of honour' in saying how busy you are. I am guilty, when someone asks me how things are going in my life, of saying, ‘Oh you know…good, but busy as always’. I wonder why I feel the need to do that? Am I saying if I am not busy then what I am doing is of no value?

This weekend my husband and I had a conversation about whether Jesus was ever busy. The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that he wasn’t. 

Sure, the gospels are action-packed and they quickly go from one thing to another, and Jesus did a lot in those three years of earthly ministry….but busy? I don’t get the impression he was. He rested, went off on his own to be with his Father, he took time to be with people. 

There will always be times in my life that are just busier than others, but within all this, I am wondering where I can find my moments of rest and peace. Where I can stop, where it becomes less about what I am doing, and more about my being with my God. 

Today think about your lives and your busyness and see if you can find those moments where God invites you to a green pasture beside still waters. 

Prayer - Dear Lord, thank you for the rest and peace you bring to our busy lives. Help us find still moments in our everyday.