Lisa Lorenzo welcomes listeners to the Faith with Friends podcast, where they will explore how to experience rest in the Lord. Rest is important for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, and Jesus invites us to come with Him by ourselves. Lisa discusses seven ways to apply biblical truth and experience the rest God provides. She encourages people who are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or seeking peace to lean in and listen to discover these therapeutic ways to experience God's rest. Jesus understood the importance of rest, and how neglecting it can lead to stress, anxiety and burnout, which blocks our ability to serve God and others. One therapeutic way to experience rest in the Lord is to meditate on His Word. This can be done by taking time to reflect on Scripture, and writing it out in a journal. Additionally, looking up an alternative translation of the same Bible verse can help to gain a deeper understanding of God's Word. By meditating on God's Word and allowing it to find root in our hearts, we can experience peace and rest in our daily lives. Resting in the Lord can be practiced in multiple ways. One way is to read Scripture, as it is God's Word and a source of truth that can bring peace and comfort. Another way is to pray and talk to God, telling Him our worries and concerns. Worship is also a powerful way to experience rest in the Lord, as it is an act of praising and thanking Him for who He is. Practicing gratitude is another way to find rest, as it helps to shift one's perspective and reminds them of God's faithfulness. The speaker challenges the listener to try having an attitude of gratitude. They suggest taking time to thank God for the good times, but also for the difficult times, as these are when we grow spiritually. They also suggest calling a family member or friend to express thanks, and sending them a handwritten note. The speaker then quotes 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which encourages rejoicing and thanking God in all circumstances. To start, they suggest finding one thing to be thankful for in each situation, then increasing the number each week. Finally, they remind the listener that God instituted the concept of a Sabbath rest in the Old Testament as a way for people to experience rest and refreshment.
Timestamps
0:00:00
Episode #1: Experiencing Rest in the Lord
0:01:24
Conversation on Finding Rest in the Lord
0:03:27
Topic: Experiencing Rest in the Lord Through Scripture, Prayer, Worship, and Gratitude
0:08:13
"Attitude of Gratitude: 5 Ways to Cultivate a Heart of Thankfulness"
0:09:44
Conversation on Finding Rest in God's Word and Promises
0:13:02
"7 Ways to Find Rest in the Lord: A Mindful Conversation"
0:15:11
"Finding Rest in God: 7 Therapeutic Ways to Experience Refreshment"
Fellowshipping with believers should lift your thoughts and your worries and help you to think about God. Consider Jesus in your current circumstances. So experience rest in the Lord is not only possible, but it is essential for our mental, spiritual, emotional and physical health. And incorporating these seven therapeutic ways, applying God's Word into our life, you and I can find rest and refreshment in Him.. So let's make it a priority this week to rest in God's presence and in God's promises, knowing that he will give you the strength and peace to carry out whatever plans he has for our lives. And if all seven of these seem daunting to you, to throw into your daily walk. Then I encourage you to pick three. Pick three that you can start today and see if this time next week you don't feel a little lighter, a little less burdened. Your walk with the Lord doesn't seem a little closer. And God teaches us many more ways throughout the Bible how you and I should and can experience rest.
When we practice mindfulness, we focus on the present moment. We become more aware of our thoughts and our feelings. And then we can intentionally shift our focus and our mind and our thoughts to Jesus and to His Word. Taking a few minutes each day, slowing down, taking some deep breaths, taking a prayer walk. And this might mean putting in a little bit of effort where you memorize a Bible verse and think about it on your walk.
One is Exodus 30 314. And it says, and he said, my presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. And I'm reminded of Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. Visualize that as you're trying to rest. And Isaiah 40, verses 28 through 31 says, have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
The message translation on that same verse says be cheerful no matter what. Pray all of the time. Thank God, no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you to belong. This is the way God wants you, who belong to Christ Jesus to live. So this week, start with your attitude of gratitude. In every situation, find one thing that you can be thankful for, just one. And then next week, try finding two. And then the following week, as you continue to grow, challenge yourself to go a little deeper below the surface.
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all Gods. In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. So come, let us bow down in worship. Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker, for he is God, and we are his people, and we are the people of his pasture. The flock under his care set apart some time every single day. This we intentionally worship. Worship him as Lord, as Savior, king of Kings and Lord of Lords. And then number four, practicing gratitude is another way that we find rest when we focus on the blessings in our lives.
