23/11/2025 - Vincent Gulay
Psalm 23
As the year draws to a close, we reflect on the goals and plans we made.
We reflect on the pace of life, and the impact of hurry on ourselves, our relationships – those we
love the most.
Could the Lord be calling us to a rest that renews our minds, builds our trust in Him, satisfies
our souls and bring Him glory?
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
Learning to slow down means understanding why we perceive ‘rest’ the way we do. Aligning our
worldly perspective with God’s perspective is a key benefit of rest, but also key to beginning the
life-long journey of pursuing a slower pace.
“If we’re not being intentionally formed by Jesus, himself, then it’s highly likely we’re being
unintentionally formed by someone or something else.” – John Mark Comer
Change your mindset around rest, then Jesus can change how you see the World.
‘He makes me lie down in green pastures…’
Changing our mindset is one step, but Trusting him is another thing all together. Shepherds in
David’s time, in Jerusalem, would only see small sporadic sprigs, in the dry seasons. It was
important for the sheep to follow the shepherd to where the food is, and the safe places were to
rest.
In the same way, through hard season, the Lord with show you where the provision is, and will allow
you to rest, while he keeps an eye on what’s important to you.
Rest helps us increase our trust in Him.
“He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”
For when our souls are more tired than our bodies.
We are yearning. We are thirsty for something to satisfy our desires. But nothing can, like the
living waters that the Shepherd leads us to.
Rest means being led to where we can drink and be restored.
Rest allows Him to restore what hurry has drained.
“He Leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.”
Rest has this way of putting God back in His rightful place. Because when I slow down long enough
to breathe, I remember. He’s the Shepherd, I’m not.
But Rest moves the spotlight off me, and back onto Him. He does all of this for us, and we can only
benefit from it because of His Grace. Supplying our daily needs and offering us peace and rest are
all a part of God’s desire to restore our souls, to revive us in Him.
Rest helps us direct our worship to the place it belongs.
Do not allow fear to manifest as “hurry” and pull you away from who you love. Instead, build
rhythms of rest and be led by The Good Shepherd.
Being Led, really starts with being honest. Let’s start with asking a few questions:
– What has formed my mindset around rest? How healthy is this?
– Do I trust the Lord with provision in my life? Do I trust him with my projects?
– How deeply does the Lord need to restore me? When did I last feel deeply content?
– Where is my worship directed? Do I need help with this? What do I need to change?
Here are some healthy practices you could consider and research. Examen. Sabbath. Silence.
Solitude. Slowing. Worship. Delete the apps. And some resources
Resources:
– The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry – John Mark Comer
– Practicing the Way – John Mark Comer
– Peter Scazzero
