WEBVTT - A Prayer to Reclaim Rest

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer,

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<v Speaker 1>where we help you find the words you need to

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<v Speaker 1>connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening

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<v Speaker 1>in your life today, you can trust that God wants

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<v Speaker 1>to hear from you. Right after this short word from

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<v Speaker 1>our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer to reclaim rest.

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<v Speaker 1>A Prayer to Reclaim Rest, written and read by Leah Gerard.

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<v Speaker 1>In peace, I will lie down and for you alone, Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>make me dwell in safety, Psalm four eight. I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>sure why, after so many thousands of years, it seems

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<v Speaker 1>humans are still stressing over whether there's any peace to

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<v Speaker 1>be found in the daily struggle to survive and thrive.

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<v Speaker 1>Even though we have the gift of biblical wisdom to

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<v Speaker 1>explore and meditate on, we often overfill our lives with, frankly,

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<v Speaker 1>more than we can handle physically and emotionally. Add to that,

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<v Speaker 1>the heavy guild that comes from stewing over unfinished to

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<v Speaker 1>do lists, and sometimes the decision to just lay it

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<v Speaker 1>all down and rest can feel irresponsible and maybe even brazen.

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<v Speaker 1>And because I catch myself rushing, worrying, and overextending, I

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<v Speaker 1>need this reminder today too, I need to remember that

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<v Speaker 1>God's ultimate plan is restoration, and you can't even spell

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<v Speaker 1>that without rest. We see this in the very first

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<v Speaker 1>book of the Bible. Even God himself, after performing the

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<v Speaker 1>immeasurable and miraculous work of creating literally everything, needed time

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<v Speaker 1>to rest. Genesis two two through three tells us by

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<v Speaker 1>the seventh day God had finished the work he'd been doing,

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<v Speaker 1>so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

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<v Speaker 1>Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,

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<v Speaker 1>because on it he rested from all the work of

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<v Speaker 1>creating that he had done. Now God is both perfect

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<v Speaker 1>and infinitely capable, it's plausible that he would need no

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<v Speaker 1>downtime at all, But at the start of his love

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<v Speaker 1>letter to us, he tells a story that culminates in

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<v Speaker 1>his choice to rest. Of course, you and I are

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<v Speaker 1>not created to be God. Each of us is designed

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<v Speaker 1>with a beautiful biorhythm that necessitates sleep. Science also proves

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<v Speaker 1>that chronic stress without rest to renew our cells and systems,

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<v Speaker 1>can foster a multitude of ailments and challenges. While it

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<v Speaker 1>is true that our bodies will eventually fail us and

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<v Speaker 1>that we'll live eternally in heaven, there is no reason

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<v Speaker 1>to purposely fast track our breakdown by refusing to let go,

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<v Speaker 1>relax or sleep. I remember a time in my life

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<v Speaker 1>when I was between jobs in a temporary apartment and

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<v Speaker 1>caring for my son through a painful life change in

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<v Speaker 1>lifestyle that I did not understand, and one of my

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<v Speaker 1>healing practices was to write scriptures on index cards for

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<v Speaker 1>easy reference. For many nights, I would pick up the

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<v Speaker 1>card next to my bed on which I'd written the

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<v Speaker 1>Psalm four eight, and I'd whisper it aloud to God,

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<v Speaker 1>in peace, I will lie down and sleep for you alone. Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>make me dwell in safety. Because of this truth, I

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<v Speaker 1>knew I was allowed to unclench my grip on all

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<v Speaker 1>my fears and worries. I reminded myself that God would

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<v Speaker 1>watch over me and keep me safe. If you struggle

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<v Speaker 1>to fall asleep at night, or to sit and do

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<v Speaker 1>nothing because your body is asking you to, or to

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<v Speaker 1>let something go undone so you could take a breather,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe Psalm four eight can help you too, Or maybe

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<v Speaker 1>Psalm twenty three can encourage you that God invites you

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<v Speaker 1>to lie down in a green pasture and relax beside

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<v Speaker 1>quiet waters and why does he offer these things to

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<v Speaker 1>refresh your soul? Reclaiming your God given requirement for rest

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<v Speaker 1>involves shifting your energy from striving to trusting. Remember, he

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<v Speaker 1>asks you in One Peter five seven to cast your

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<v Speaker 1>cares on him. He invites you in Philippians four six

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<v Speaker 1>through seven to present your requests to him and trust

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<v Speaker 1>that He will guard your heart and mind. God doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>intend for you to overfunction without refreshment, but he does

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<v Speaker 1>require your participation. He wants you to seek his peace

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<v Speaker 1>and release your exhaustion into his loving hands. Through Jesus.

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<v Speaker 1>He gives you the everlasting invitation in Matthew eleven twenty

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<v Speaker 1>eight through thirty. Come to me, all you who are

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<v Speaker 1>weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Rest

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<v Speaker 1>is where you can know you are loved just as

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<v Speaker 1>you are, not for your works or your achievements, but

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<v Speaker 1>because you're a beloved child of God. Let's pray fear God,

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<v Speaker 1>help me remember that rest is an intentional gift from you.

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<v Speaker 1>Remind me that I'm not proving myself to you. Rather,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm celebrating your goodness. Show me how to ease the

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<v Speaker 1>pressure I put on myself and make room for the

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<v Speaker 1>restoration that my heart, mind, soul, and body need. Please

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<v Speaker 1>inspire me with ideas for relaxing that let me enjoy

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<v Speaker 1>unstructured time, naps, or sleep without guilt. I know you

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<v Speaker 1>desire what's best for me. Help me not stand in

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<v Speaker 1>the way of the sweet refreshment you provide. Show me

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<v Speaker 1>how to reclaim rest in Jesus' name. Amen. Your Daily

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<v Speaker 1>Prayer is a production of Life Audio and Salem Media.

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