“He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;“

Psalm 23:2

God, our Shepherd, understands that life can be really hard. He knows that we are in a spiritual battle in a crazy world and that it can take its toll.  When this happens it can feel like you are standing in the dark with no sense of which way to go to find light. We become weary.  I don’t just mean being physically tired, but tired in our souls.  Tired in our hearts.  Tired in our minds.  It is the kind of tired that you don’t just get over with a good night’s sleep. It is the kind of weariness that can be disillusioning, frustrating, and even makes you want to “quit”.  It is not fun to have a weary soul.

St John of the Cross might call these times, “The Dark Night of the Soul.” In his book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero calls these moments in our journey, The Wall. Scazzero says, “For most of us the Wall appears through a crisis that turns our world upside down. We don’t know where God is, and what He is doing, where He is going, how He is getting us there, or when this will be over.”  I know from personal experience that “The Wall”, “The Dark Night of the Soul” is hard.

A few years ago walked through this kind of weariness. I did not get there overnight but it was the culmination of many factors that built up over a long period of time. My soul was tired and it needed to be restored.

Maybe you have had a similar experience or know someone who has. Even if that is not what you are experiencing now, the chances are that you will at some point.  God knows this and He offers us the beautiful promise, “He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.”

A key part of coming through seasons of weariness is believing that God has not left you alone to make out alone and that He is the One who can provide genuine rest. Take a moment and ask Him to give you a greater understanding and belief in Him as the giver of rest. 

Notice that our verse today does not say, “Go find quiet waters” or “Restore your own soul.” David is trying to help us understand that in our spiritual journey, we will experience deep rest as we trust and surrender to the leading of the LORD our Shepherd.

Many of us struggle with the thought of “doing nothing”. For many of us being busy is our badge of honor. But God never says, “stay busy all the time”.  He often tells us, “rest”. As a matter of fact, the longest of the 10 commandments in Exodus 20:8 is the command to rest, or sabbath, “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…” 

God knows that it is easy for us to forget to rest and then burn out. He loves us enough to command us to rest.

We have to trust that the way to have a healthy soul often means slowing down and being quiet. We have to trust that having a healthy soul will often mean building into our lives the rhythm of choosing to stop being busy and creating consistent times to sit by “quiet waters.”’ To make the long slow walk with God through all seasons of life, we must become people who learn to “lie in green pastures” and allow God to restore our souls.

Slowly read through these verses about rest. 

Psalm 62:1

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

Psalm 46:10

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Is. 40:31

“But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength;

they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary,

they will walk and not faint.”

Psalm 4:8

“I will both lie down and sleep in peace,

for you alone, Lord, make me live in safety.”

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I hope that you hear that God is for your rest. He desires that you experience a restored soul in HIs green pastures and by His quiet waters.