In my normal morning routine, I am awake before the first light of the morning appears in the sky. In those pre-dawn mornings, I can hear birds begin to sing as they anticipate the coming dawn. 

Recently, I’ve been listening to instrumental worship music to prepare my heart to be still. And now that the weather has warmed up, I’ve been going outside to sit in our garden and listen to God’s creation awaken. I can feel my soul come alive.

Yesterday, as the first evidence of a rising sun offered contrast in the sky, I saw something I had not seen before. I saw bats flying in erratic patterns, trying to catch insects. I continued watching the bats for half an hour until the morning light fully broke, and they returned to their daytime roosts. In that place of rest, I was able to see something I had never seen before. 

Rest is a form of revelation. Without rest, we will not see the fuller picture of the world around us. When we make ourselves available, it is the Lord who leads us to these quiet places to reveal things we have not known. David’s words in Psalm 23:2-3 took on a new meaning. He wrote that my Shepherd “makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”

That morning, my green pasture was our garden. My soul was refreshed as I saw parts of God’s creation I had never seen before. 

Even Jesus went away to quiet places to be with His Father and to commune with Him. If we don’t find a quiet place, our lives will be filled with other things. We will be filled with the never-ending cultural turmoil, divisive conversations, and ill-advised goals. Those emotional fillers will rob us of the refreshment of our souls.  

Rest is the secret to life. Our Shepherd King is our Rest, and only He can lead us into rest and fill our minds with restful thoughts. Only He can refresh our troubled souls.