Finding Margins in a Demanding Season - Your Nightly Prayer - August 21
Finding Margins in a Demanding Season
Your Nightly Prayer
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for he grants sleep to those he loves.” (Psalm 127:2)
SOMETHING TO PONDER
I recently had a conversation with a colleague about the spirituality of sleep. We were in conversation about the various ways that we can enter prayer. I asked the question: “Do you think sleep can be prayer?” This led us into a long discussion about how God often calls us to times of rest. God often asks us to stop, to be still, to leave the frenetic toil of hustle-and-bustle, so that we might attend to the work of the Spirit deep within us.
We live in a world that spins by. We cram our schedules in with a multitude of tasks or demands, often stacking one upon the other with an air of anxious multitasking. In those few moments when we don’t have something occupying our time, we tend to preoccupy ourselves with the concerns or demands on the horizon – we move them forward, attend to them, or worry about them, before we need to. And so we live in a day and culture where time becomes the biggest commodity, where we often pray, “I wish I had more time”, or lament, “if only I had more time.”
But in the midst of the frenzy of instant gratification and increased busyness, the Lord whispers a gentle invitation to observe a time of rest. We are invited to take a moment and give all our anxieties, all our demands, all our wishes and wants, into the precious hands of Jesus, trusting that he will care for us. We rest our body from its demands, and in doing so, we rest our soul in the presence of God, knowing that he is with us. After all, if – as the old children’s hymn goes – “He’s got the whole world in his hands”, why do we need to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders?
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Gracious Lord, I thank you for your loving presence that washes over me. I thank you that you never lead me into frenzied toil. With you, there is rest, true rest. Lord, when I am tempted to carry the weight of everything, help me to release it into your loving care. Help me trust that you are with me in all things, and you will empower me to do the work I need to do.
But I also pray that you challenge me to say No. In those times when my busyness leads me from your presence, give me the boldness to put down the activity that I don’t need to carry, so that I can rest in your presence. Help me to discern the work you call me to do, and the work you call me to step away from. And in those moments, when you ask me to stop and rest in your presence, help me to hear that call, and empower me to respond. This I pray in Jesus’ name.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
Jesus often called the disciples away from the crowds to spend special moments with him. Where is Jesus calling you to step away from busyness and into a time of rest?
In the ancient understanding of the day, the new day began with sundown. This meant that the first order of the day was to rest, giving everything into God’s hands. What do you need to release to God as you enter sleep tonight?
From Genesis to Revelation, rest is seen as a gift. Take a look at your schedule. Where do you see Jesus offering you a gift of rest?
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
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