Psalm 62:1

NASB	NLT	VOICE
1 My soul waits in silence for God alone; From Him comes my salvation.	1 I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.	1 My soul quietly waits for the True God alone; my salvation comes from Him.

The True Source of Rest

God is our source of true peace and rest for the soul. We find this through trusting and relying on God, and ignore the worldly sources of security. The Hebrew word for “rest” also implies a silence or stillness. It’s recognizing that our inner peace comes from a point of silence and allowing God to recharge and rest our soul. God is also the one who protects his people from the evils of sin and delivers them from the enslavement to sin. 

Learning to Incorporate the Peace of Christ

The peace of God is something that goes beyond anything we comprehend. When you think of peace, what comes to mind? Typically, it’s the absence of chaos. It’s life that is calm, happy, and has no issues. The peace that Jesus gives is the serenity in the middle of the chaos. It’s not that “I’m going silent and am about to snap” silence either. It’s “Life is hard right now, but God’s got this,” silence. It’s learning that when we stop, sit, and survey our situation, we will find our path out of it. God gives us the discernment to figure out how to sit in the chaos. To take in everything and understand our situation. This helps, for me at least, to recognize that our emotions are a reaction to the situation. When I can take my emotions out of the equation and look closer at the situational context, I can start to see what God needs me to see and start to recognize how He needs me to pull out of it. The more we learn to sit and reflect instead of reacting immediately, the more we start to allow the character of God to come out and develop into a true reflection of who God is. 

Reflection Questions:

1. How do you find that silence with Christ?
2. How do you react to the chaos of life? Do you sit and reflect or do you react immediately?
3. What advice do you have for those struggling with the weight of life?

Call to Action:

Read Matthew 11:28-30. Thank God for the rest He gives, recognizing that His ways are lighter and greater than anything we can learn in the world. Ask God for peace in the middle of your chaos. Find ways with God and through God to achieve that peace.

Check out the next slice of manna: Manna for the Mind #285