4 Steps to Rest and Restoration

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. Pslam 6:2

We do not deserve God’s mercy, but He gives it to us over and over. At some point in time we all go through struggles and find ourselves in difficult situations, and we often try to take matters into our own hands. Living on earth apart from God can be exhausting and wear us down physically and mentally . . . we become faint.

For many years, I tried to go ahead of God and figure life out and have it all planned. I wasted a lot of time and energy. I would worry and stress about the next day or the outcome of a situation. I would absolutely wear myself out. It is not healthy to live life worrying about outcomes.

I am a planner and like to make lists. It’s good to be organized and have a game plan, but I was forgetting to ask God if my plan coincided with His plan. Over the years I have claimed the verses Jeremiah 29:11-14, and I have learned the importance of using these verses as my game plan for Living Abundantly and Choosing Joy (John 10:10) over the chaos and confusion that the enemy wants us to have.

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29:11-14

I originally memorized and held Jeremiah 29:11 close to my heart. Then I began hearing God asking me if I had prayed about the plan and was I seeking Him in all my situations . . . I read further into the chapter to Jeremiah 29:12-13.

Through these verses, I realized God had more for me than just trusting He had the plan. . . He wanted to hear from in pray, and He wanted me to go on a journey to find Him. As I began praying and seeking God, I found Him in situations and all around me. He had been there, but now I was noticing Him and how He was working in my personal life and in the life of others. God tells us that we will find Him if we pray and seek Him.

Then Jeremiah 29:14 is one of hope. . . He will restore our situation and will bring us out of exile. . . be open to your restoration because He may restore you and place you somewhere you did expect. Trust is part of the process. . . you have to believe that His Plan is THE PERFECT PLAN for your life. Your prayers may be answered according to His plan not yours.

“I will be found by you” declares the Lord, “and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,” declares the Lord, “‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile” Jeremiah 29:14

Have you been wanting to get back to something? Are you feeling lost in a relationship, struggling with your career or education, having a hard time balancing your budget, or feeling hopeless in the battle to get healthier? Are you waiting for restoration and healing? How would it feel to come out of your pit and stop wandering lost in the wilderness?

Here are the steps Jeremiah 29:11-14 instructs us to do to find rest and restoration:

1. TRUST that God has the perfect plan for your life.
2. PRAY . . . just get in conversation with God. Tell Him you trust Him and want to find Him in your situation, in your day.
3. SEEK . . . read God’s Word and open up your heart and mind to what He wants you to hear and see in this moment, not in the days to come. Do not get before God! Let God lead the way and show you how to walk down the dark path. God has the flashlight to see ahead. YOU WILL FIND HIM . . . He might come in the form of peace, strength, revelation, guidance, friendship, discernment, joy, forgiveness, reconciliation, provision . . . just look for Him and you will know it is Him.
4. BE STILL. . . God’s timing is not ours. If we TRUST, PRAY, and SEEK, we will be brought out of exile. . . just be still and wait for God to make His move in His own perfect timing. This is when we begin to get impatient and go before God. Do not get in the way. . . let God do his thing!!!

These outcomes could be relationship, jobs, finances, or sickness. . . whatever is on your heart today, give it over to God so he can give you energy and healing to the soul. Let Him bring you out of exile. . . Let God take you from the pit to the castle. . . Let God show you the path out of the dark lonely wilderness. . . He is waiting for you to hand over the situation and find refuge in Him.

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Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. Psalm 62:5

Today’s Journal and Reflection: What are you trying to figure out today? What are you trying to get back to? Are you giving it to God or trying to go before Him? How can you find refuge in God today and let your mind and body rest and heal?

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