My family loves to go hiking. Well, let me change that a bit. My family, besides my youngest daughter, loves to go hiking. She would much rather sit in the car and drive around while looking at the breathtaking scenery, than get out of the car and hike to a peak to actually experience the scenery. Unfortunately, for her, she’s the youngest, so she is obligated to join in on the adventure. She usually makes sure that we take many rests along the way. On our most recent hike, I heard her saying to herself, “Every step gets you closer to the end.” It made me chuckle, but I was proud of her for finding a strategy to get through it.

Are you just getting through? No, I’m not talking about a hike, but rather, this earthly life that you are living. Are you just taking it step by step and waiting for your rest at the end? Maybe you are just trying to get through each day minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour. Maybe you look forward to laying your head down on the pillow each night and dread that beeping sound of the alarm in the morning. It can be difficult to feel fully rested, when our minds are racing and our calendars are full to the brim with activities that cannot be skipped.

In our verse for today, the Psalmist write, “My soul finds rest in God alone.” Exhale and read that again. “My soul finds rest in God alone.” Praise God. It takes the stress out of trying to figure out where we should turn to find rest. Sure, a nap gives us a boost and a nice walk might calm our mind, but rest, spiritual rest, comes from God.
When we feel overwhelmed, we can find rest in our heavenly Father. When we are overcome with anxiety or stress, we can go to his Word and be comforted with God’s promises. When we are tired and consumed with fears and doubts, we can pray to him and know that he hears every single word. When the guilt of sin weighs heavy on our hearts, God’s peace through his forgiveness is ours.

We don’t have to just “get through it”. We have the God of the universe on our side. The Psalmist calls him our “rock” and our “fortress”. There can be so much noise on the outside of that fortress, but we are on the inside, surrounded by him. God is protecting us from the chaos and blessing us with his peace. I hope that makes your shoulders go down. I hope it brings you rest to know that God has won every battle and is surrounding you with his love, grace, and mercy. Step-by-step, day-by-day, he is with you. You will have rest. It will be perfect. Keep going.