Come by yourselves let’s take a break and get a little rest. Mark 6.31

It doesn’t take a week long vacation out of town to get rest. The Father is more powerful than that. But there are some things we need to leverage to avail ourselves to that power that gives us rest.

That same flyer my church family gave me last night has some helpful suggestions.

1. Remember
2. Thank God
3. Surrender
4. Trust
5. Write it down

Obviously I’m going to focus on the writing it down part, but I’m going to spend all week talking about the others in detail as well.

Under the write it down step it says the following. See how God moves in your life over time. +What did God show me about Himself? +What did God remind me about myself? God listens the way an acquaintance listened over coffee this morning. God also reminded me that everyone else struggles with the same struggles I struggle with. The forces of darkness like us to think we are in this all alone. It’s the animal mentality. If a pack or herd of something can isolate one weaker animal it can take it out much easier. Satan has that same mindset, and he hasn’t stopped for thousands of years. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection was a serious blow to his offense, but he is still free to roam the Earth seeking who he may destroy. No one but the Father knows the day that will end, but when it does his terrorism will end. We have to endure right now, and of course there are moments of rest and victory, but the suffering is not over. So many lies infiltrate our own imaginations that sometimes we don’t know what to think, but that’s the powerful reason we’ve been told not to lean on our own understanding. Remind yourself of that daily.

Placing our fear and worry at the feet of God through prayer is a very powerful way to rest in the midst of suffering. It doesn’t matter what has happened. It doesn’t matter how you feel. If the Father’s name is on your lips He is with you. He is with you even when His name is not on your lips. There’s never a time when His unconditional love is not in and surrounding you because you are His creation. Getting to that mindset is difficult sometimes because the sinful nature can sometimes overpower the Spirit when we aren’t partnering with the Spirit to near the Father and the Son. Sometimes when that happens I will pray a very simple prayer over and over, and I leave you an example for when you face those kinds of situations.

Put your angels around me Father. Shelter me from evil. In Jesus name amen.