He Restores My Soul

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness. For His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3 NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV

Come and rest.

There is something I’ve been learning lately that doesn’t come naturally to me.

Rest.

For years, I have spent my life helping others. I have poured into women, families, children, and communities. Like so many helpers, I convinced myself that being productive meant I was being faithful. If I wasn’t accomplishing something, checking something off a list, or solving someone else’s problem, I felt as though I wasn’t doing enough.

Then something unexpected happened.

God told me to rest.

At first, I resisted. My mind immediately raced to everything that still needed to be done. Bills still needed to be paid. A job still needed to be found. Ministry ideas continued to fill my notebook. Surely this wasn’t the time to slow down.

Yet the more I prayed, the more I sensed God saying the same thing.

Rest.

It made very little sense to me.

In many ways, God took me all the way to Washington, D.C. While I kept thinking about what was next, He kept reminding me of what was needed now.

Not another plan.

Not another application.

Not another project.

Rest.

I’ve come to realize that rest is difficult because it requires trust.

When we keep moving, we often feel like we’re in control. We believe that if we work a little harder, worry a little more, or keep ourselves busy enough, we can somehow secure our future.

But when God says, “Rest,” He is asking us to place our future in His hands instead of our own.

That may be one of the hardest acts of obedience there is.

Rest does not mean we stop caring. 

It does not mean we stop praying. 

It does not mean we stop preparing.

It simply means we stop carrying burdens that God never asked us to carry.

Psalm 23 tells us that the Good Shepherd “restores my soul.” Restoration is not something we manufacture through busyness. It is something we receive in God’s presence.

Maybe that is why He asks us to rest.

Not because He has forgotten about our future…but because He cares about our hearts.

Maybe the greatest work God is doing is not around us.  Maybe it is within us.

So today, I want to leave you with the same invitation God has been extending to me.

Not because everything is finished.

Not because every answer has arrived.

But because the One who is leading you has never stopped working.

Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is simply obey His voice…and rest.

Reflection

Is there an area of your life where God has been inviting you to slow down, yet you’ve been afraid to let go?

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being the Shepherd who restores my soul. Forgive me for believing that my value is found in what I accomplish instead of in who I am in You. Teach me to trust You enough to rest. Quiet the striving within me, calm my anxious thoughts, and remind me that You are already at work, even when I am still.

Help me walk at the pace of Your grace, knowing that obedience sometimes looks like slowing down.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

HIS love and MINE,

Shemeca