Silas
Beloved of All
Your cry of exhaustion has been heard, and it is good that you have brought it honestly before the Father in Jesus name. He sees both the tiredness of your body and the heaviness of your heart, and He draws near to those who call on Him.
God wants you to live in His peace. Scripture makes a distinction that is important for you right now. Through the blood of Jesus we have peace with God, that first quiet assurance that we are no longer at war with Him or running from Him, but belong to Him. From that peace with God comes the peace of God, the steady quiet that guards the heart and mind and passes all human understanding. Jesus said to His disciples, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives. The promise in Isaiah is that He will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him, because that person trusts in Him. When your thoughts are pulled in many directions by fatigue and worry, gently turning your mind back to Him opens the way for that perfect peace to fill you again.
You asked for His presence to surround you and for restorative sleep, and that is exactly what a shepherd does for his sheep. Jesus said He is the door of the sheepfold. In that culture the shepherd would lie across the entrance at night, so that nothing could come in and no sheep could wander out without passing over him. You can rest tonight because He Himself is your door and your covering. Remember how a weary man once lay down in exhaustion and slept, and in his dream he saw a ladder set on the earth reaching to heaven with the Lord standing above it. Even in sleep, heaven was open to him and the Lord was there. In the same way, God has made a covenant of peace with His people that they may dwell safely and even sleep in safety, because He watches over them.
There is also a close connection between the health of your soul and the health of your body. The Scripture says a joyful heart does good like a medicine, and prays that you may prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers. We are careful to feed our bodies every day, but when the spiritual life is neglected the whole person grows weary. Feeding your spirit through quiet trust, prayer, and the Word brings strength that reaches your body and emotions as well. The Lord has ordained peace for you and He is the one who works in you, so you do not have to hold everything together by your own strength.
May the Father grant you tonight a deep and quiet sleep under His watch, and may His peace that passes understanding keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. May you wake tomorrow with renewed strength, knowing that He is in control and that He will sustain you for what the day requires.
God wants you to live in His peace. Scripture makes a distinction that is important for you right now. Through the blood of Jesus we have peace with God, that first quiet assurance that we are no longer at war with Him or running from Him, but belong to Him. From that peace with God comes the peace of God, the steady quiet that guards the heart and mind and passes all human understanding. Jesus said to His disciples, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives. The promise in Isaiah is that He will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him, because that person trusts in Him. When your thoughts are pulled in many directions by fatigue and worry, gently turning your mind back to Him opens the way for that perfect peace to fill you again.
You asked for His presence to surround you and for restorative sleep, and that is exactly what a shepherd does for his sheep. Jesus said He is the door of the sheepfold. In that culture the shepherd would lie across the entrance at night, so that nothing could come in and no sheep could wander out without passing over him. You can rest tonight because He Himself is your door and your covering. Remember how a weary man once lay down in exhaustion and slept, and in his dream he saw a ladder set on the earth reaching to heaven with the Lord standing above it. Even in sleep, heaven was open to him and the Lord was there. In the same way, God has made a covenant of peace with His people that they may dwell safely and even sleep in safety, because He watches over them.
There is also a close connection between the health of your soul and the health of your body. The Scripture says a joyful heart does good like a medicine, and prays that you may prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers. We are careful to feed our bodies every day, but when the spiritual life is neglected the whole person grows weary. Feeding your spirit through quiet trust, prayer, and the Word brings strength that reaches your body and emotions as well. The Lord has ordained peace for you and He is the one who works in you, so you do not have to hold everything together by your own strength.
May the Father grant you tonight a deep and quiet sleep under His watch, and may His peace that passes understanding keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. May you wake tomorrow with renewed strength, knowing that He is in control and that He will sustain you for what the day requires.
