My Restless Soul

Wracked With Stress

I worry about things; it comes with the territory of over-thinking.

Worry, sorrow, depression, stress… they cause real, physical damage.

Cardiovascular disease

Chronic inflammation

Compromised immune systems

Fatigue and metabolic problems`

Headaches, skin conditions, asthma, and arthritis

God’s desire for His children is peace and rest. We know this, because God gave us the Sabbath.

Consider the story of God supplying manna for His people in the wilderness (Exodus 16).

After 6 days, God commanded them to gather twice as much as usual because the next day was the Sabbath… a time to rest. REMEMBER THESE WERE SLAVES ACCUSTOMED TO WORK, so they had a hard time listening! Exodus 16:23-30

Exodus 16:23–30 CSB

23 He told them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.’ ” 24 So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it didn’t stink or have maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you won’t find any in the field. 26 For six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.” 27 Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and instructions? 29 Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

God purposefully created rest because rest is purposeful. We must find time to rest our bodies, our minds, and our soul so we can admire Creation as God did in Genesis 2:1-3

Genesis 2:1–3 CSB

1 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. 2 On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.

God appoints times for all things, some for work and some for rest, some for spiritual maturation and some for meditation and contentment.

When we find ourselves in a moment of great stress, we must remember that this anxiety, sorrow, or worry we feel is not the design; it is a consequence of sin and the work of Satan who desires to rob us of the very rest God intended for us to enjoy.

God intends for us to enjoy rest, so much so that He even commands it. Read Exodus 6:23-30 and note how God impressed the importance of rest/contentment/peace on His people. When we are in the midst of life’s great trials or the darkness of our own thoughts, it can be easy to forget state of mental “rest” God wishes us to enjoy. What robs you of your mental rest? What troubles your soul on a recurring basis and in this moment? When you find yourself spiraling in your own misery, what do you find yourself running towards as a source of peace? Is it something that simply distracts you from your discomfort, or something that addresses your spiritual needs?

Penitent Psalms for Penitent Hearts

The concept of penitence is somewhat dicey because of how people treat it… doing “something” to win favor or mercy from God. However, feelings of penitence are something we find across the scriptures.

The Psalms have seven chapters referred to as “The Penitential Psalms”, Pss 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143 (from “Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1-50”). Psalms 6 caught my eye

Psalm 6 CSB

For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. A psalm of David. 1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; do not discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking; 3 my whole being is shaken with terror. And you, Lord—how long? 4 Turn, Lord! Rescue me; save me because of your faithful love. 5 For there is no remembrance of you in death; who can thank you in Sheol? 6 I am weary from my groaning; with my tears I dampen my bed and drench my couch every night. 7 My eyes are swollen from grief; they grow old because of all my enemies. 8 Depart from me, all evildoers, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my plea for help; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror; they will turn back and suddenly be disgraced.

Verse 3 exemplifies how many of us feel when we are in our darkest days… Psalm 6:3 “3 my whole being is shaken with terror. And you, Lord—how long?”

Relatable: Verse 6-7 reminds us of the outward expressions we often experience… Psalm 6:6–7 “6 I am weary from my groaning; with my tears I dampen my bed and drench my couch every night. 7 My eyes are swollen from grief; they grow old because of all my enemies.”

PERSONAL CONVICTION: SIN

I struggle to reconcile how God can still love me, knowing how sinful I can truly be.

From Mel Gibson’s “The Patriot”, main protagonist Benjamin Martin reflects on his past actions and states, “I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me… and the cost is more than I can bear.”

For me, I read similar themes to Psalms 6, but applied to my own spiritual chains in Psalms 51

Psalm 51 CSB

For the choir director. A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba. 1 Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. 2 Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you—you alone—I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge. 5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. 10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach the rebellious your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God— God of my salvation— and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. 18 In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Charles Spurgeon commented on this Psalm: “Such a psalm may be wept over, absorbed into the soul, and exhaled again in devotion; but, commented on—ah! where is he who having attempted it can do other than blush at his defeat?” (Spurgeon on the Psalms, 3). [David Platt, Matt Mason, and Jim Shaddix, Exalting Jesus in Psalms 51-100 (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2020), 3–4.]

As a Lutheran, I sang every week Pss 51:10-12… “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”

I wish I had paid more attention to the verses following… Pss 51:14-17

Psalm 51:14–17 CSB

14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God— God of my salvation— and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.

The solace I find in David’s psalms is that even he could only offer what I have today.... an utterly broken spirit. I have wandered away from the hope and passion that Christ displayed on the cross and I fear that my life will not be holy enough.... BUT OUR GOD DOES NOT DESIRE SACRIFICE.

We can see a pathway to a restful spirit in this Psalm...

Verse 7: Be purified and cleaned of what dirties your soul.

Verse 8: Find praise despite your circumstances.

Verse 9: Redemption

Verse 10-12: Restoration

Verse 13: Action

“You Got to Want to Get Better”: We are called to rest and peace… if we aren’t willing to step out beyond our worldly sense of justice and security, than we are robbing ourselves of the most divine blessing He bestowed on Creation FROM THE START.

Read another of the “Penitential Psalms”, Psalms 51. In this Psalm, notice how restlessness appears to be coming from personal guilt of sin. In the final verses, we see something truly powerful… that the sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. That matters, because in our darkest moments, a broken spirit is often all we have left to give. When have you felt your spirit truly broken? How did that lead you to maturing in your faith and seeking out God’s love? How did you find it? In your own seasons of spiritual strength, how can you use what God has given you to help heal the broken?

Alright, but What About My Sadness Today?

Emotions come and go; they are powerful and valid… but they can also be deceptive. Jeremiah 17:9 “9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?”

The hope you cling to is back in Psalm 6:8–9 “8 Depart from me, all evildoers, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my plea for help; the Lord accepts my prayer.”

Christ hears your prayers. Not only does He hear them; He weeps for your condition.

Luke 19:41–42 “41 As he approached and saw the city, he wept for it, 42 saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

John 11:35 “35 Jesus wept.”

This life is bound to be filled with days of victory and days of defeat, days of joy and days of sorrow, days of security and days of worry… throughout it all, we have opportunities to praise in God’s blessings and worship in our brokenness.

If what you’re after is rest based on life circumstances, you’re going to be disappointed. However, if you’re after a truly restful soul, then take comfort in knowing that God have blessed us with spiritual rest, written into the blueprint of Creation from the start.

So in what, today, do you find your rest?