As I talk with people, I hear a recurring theme: “I’m worn out. I need rest. Life is spinning madly out of control!” It seems we’re all running on empty and in danger of burning out. But, surely, that’s not God’s plan for our lives.

Is it even possible to find rest when life seems to get busier every day and the demands just keep piling up? How can we find rest when we are overwhelmed with difficult circumstances out of our control that drain us emotionally, mentally, and physically?

We are in need of rest, but it seems to escape us. A few years ago, I began to search the Scriptures to see what God says about rest. God’s mandate for His people to rest is found throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Rest is for our good. We need it, but why aren’t we able to embrace this gift of rest?

As I was studying the Scriptures to find God’s perspective on rest, I was experiencing a season of no rest in my own life. For several years I was the primary caregiver for my elderly mother who was living in a nursing home here in Memphis. It was undoubtedly one of the hardest seasons of life I’ve gone through. I was depleted emotionally and physically, and rest wasn’t part of my life.

Perhaps you’re in a season of no rest today, brought on by a situation that’s out of your control, and you know that reordering priorities or saying no isn’t going to bring rest. How do you and I find rest in these seasons of life? Is it even possible?

We may not be able to experience the physical rest we desire, but we can still find rest in those times of no rest – soul rest. We find that soul rest by spending time in His Word and in His presence.

I wrote this Bible study on rest for myself and our Women’s Ministry Bible study. CrossLink Publishers has now published it and made it available for others.

If you’re worn out and in need of rest, this Bible study is for you. As you come to understand God’s desire and purpose for rest, I pray you will embrace this gift and find joy, not guilt, in rest.

(The Gift of Rest is now available on Amazon and Crosslink Publishing.)