To know Jesus Christ is to know rest. Without Jesus Christ, there will be no rest!
We began this series with the understanding that our healing begins in our Spirit, including spiritual rest. However, today we’re ending this series with an understanding of the importance of physical rest and relaxation.
Concluding The Healing Series
If you haven’t read the previous blog posts to this series, we encourage you to read those posts and then come back here.
For your convenience, we’ve included the previous posts below.
Where Does The Healing Process Begin? – Part 1
Learning To Thrive With Parkinson’s Disease – Andre’s Story – Part 2
Practical Ways To Stand on God’s Word for Healing – Part 3
Living With Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis Timberley’s Story — Part 4
What does the Bible say about a Healthy Diet? – Part 5
How Physical Activity Can Promote Healing In Our Bodies – Part 6
Spiritual Rest
Spiritual rest in the Lord is putting our trust and confidence in Him.
We find rest in our spirit knowing that God is working things out on our behalf; trusting in Him and not our circumstances.
Jesus says in John 14: 27 (AMPC): Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give…Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful, intimidated and unsettled.]
If you’re always aggravated, disturbed, and agitated your body cannot rest.
Importance of Physical Rest And Relaxation
God himself set the standard of resting since the beginning of time. Which Jesus modeled as an example to us.
So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. ~ Genesis 2:1-3 (NLT)
Jesus rested after teaching and laying hands on the sick (Mark 1). He even told his disciples to go somewhere secluded to rest (Mark 6:31-32).
You see, if God and His Son Jesus made it a priority to rest, then there must be a benefit and purpose.
When we don’t take time to rest, we eventually run on empty and become burnout or worn out. As a result, we put our bodies under stress that can take an effect on our health.
According to the Mayo Clinic chronic stress can lead to serious health problems.
Unfortunately, some of us are in denial that we live in a constant state of stress because we overlook the roots of our headaches, muscle pain, chest pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, sadness, irritability, anger, etc.
Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it] ~ Hebrews 4:16 (AMPC)
When we learn to go to God for our rest and implement natural ways to rest, we’ll not only learn to manage stress, we’ll continue to promote natural healing in our bodies.
5 Ways To Implement Rest And Relaxation
While God expects us to go to Him for our spiritual rest, He also expects us to implement natural rest.
Today I want to share 5 ways you can practice rest and relaxation for healing your; spirit, soul, and body.
Identify Your Sabbath
Make it a priority to establish a day of rest. If almighty God took a day of rest, even on our best day we will never come close to wonderful works of God so we too must have a day of rest. We were not created to work 24/7.
Isaiah 58:13-14 (NLT) says; 13 “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. 14 Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken!
Everyone needs a day to do nothing. Believe it or not, in your day of doing nothing, you are doing something…you are resting at its finest!
Jesus even during a raging storm with the disciples rested (Mark 4:35-41). Even when others frantically wanted His help, He rested. He knew sooner than later that His body needed physical rest.
Just as Jesus was purposeful to rest, you have to be purposeful to rest.
Fellowship
Find time to fellowship with family and friends! I’m talking about time to relax, play games, watch a movie or just talk (have a conversation).
Put the phone down and look at each other with no drama, no hi-energy conversations, just agree to disagree for the sake of peace and enjoy each other’s company.
When we gather with Christ as our common denominator there is not only peace but encouragement for our hearts which can be good medicine for our bodies.
When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. ~ Romans 1:12 (NLT)
Use discernment with this, because fellowshipping with negative people, and only wanting to gossip or stir up strife will defeat the purpose of your rest.
Meditate
Relax your mind and body with meditation. Now, I’m not talking about anything spooky. No! I’m simply suggesting doing exactly what the definition of the word meditation means; continued or extended thought; reflection and contemplation.
You can practice meditation with deep breathing exercises or sitting still while meditating on God’s promises for healing. Including listening to calming music; jazz or that soundscape music, something that soothes your spirit, soul, and body.
Just like we are to meditate on God’s Word to have success. We can also meditate on God’s word which will help us relax to have good rest!
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.~ Joshua 1:8 (NLT)
I like to listen to soundscape music when I’m trying to relax from a stressful day. Timberley likes to meditate on her healing worship playlist when she feels weary.
Create a Peaceful Environment
If you’ve ever walked into a spa and noticed how immediately you’ve felt relaxed? That’s because they created an atmosphere that promotes relaxation. We too can create a peaceful environment that will promote relaxation.
You can create this environment by simply removing clutter, lighting a candle, dimming the lights, turning on a waterfall, etc. It can be as elaborate or as simple but most importantly just make it peaceful.
We contend for a peaceful environment in our home 24/7. Our daughter recently told us that after her weekly treatments for her rare autoimmune condition, she enjoys coming home to rest because we’ve made our home so peaceful.
Just as God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites how to prepare for their day of rest in Exodus 16, you have to prepare for your day of rest!
Spend time preparing your environment for relaxation, take care of any household chores, work, etc so you can rest in peace not thinking about what you have to do.
Instead, you can enjoy your peaceful environment by writing in a journal, taking a bath, enjoying a cup of tea, reading a book, etc. Simply doing whatever brings your heart peace!
If this is difficult for you considering planning a personal retreat from the comfort of your own home!
Sleep
Sleep is a gift from God. When we don’t get enough sleep we tend to be grumpy, our behavior changes, and we can experience body aches.
The opposite is also true. When we get enough sleep we can focus more clearly, respond more kindly to others, and feel less achy.
You can go to bed without fear, you will lie down and sleep soundly.
~ Proverbs 3:24 (NLT)
More importantly, sleep plays a major role in our physical healing. According to the Mayo Clinic, your body needs sleep to fight infectious diseases and inflammation.
Make it a common practice to habitually pursue rest! Hebrews 4 tells us that God wants us to experience this kind of rest.
Hebrews 4:10-11 (AMPC) says; For he who has once entered [God’s] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors, just as God rested from those labors peculiarly His own.
11 Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience.
When we prioritize the rest that God intended for us to have, we not only honor God, we experience healing for our spirit, soul, and body!
In The End
Remember, Jesus is our REST!
In today’s fast-moving society we tend to put rest on the back burner.
However, if you’re walking through an illness rest is even more crucial for your healing. God set the standard, Jesus modeled the example and as Christ-followers, we should follow His example.
If you struggle with rest and relaxation I want to encourage you to pick one of the 5 ways to rest and just purpose to practice that for a month and then each month try to implement another resting technique.
Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent. Over time, you’ll begin to make the resting and relaxation part of what you do! As a result, you just may find yourself feeling better!
Prayer For Rest
In closing, let us go before the Father and ask for his help to walk in His rest.
Father, though life can seem full at times I know you are always with us. Thank you for being there. Thank you for being our rest and refuge. Today I ask you to show us how to truly rest in you. Teach us your ways and your unforced rhythms of grace. Help us to not wait until we are empty and worn out. Teach us to live life from a place of rest, so that we can refresh others out of our rest. Thank you for being so patient and good to us, In Jesus’ name, amen.
~ Andre Gray
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