October 7, 2025
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We live in a world that continues to be engineered for constant motion. Our worth is measured by, and our identity is found in output, speed & busyness, as well as efficiency. Yet, beneath all of this lies a quiet, lingering, persistent weight – that realisation that no matter how much we achieve, acquire and consume, our hearts remain fundamentally unfulfilled and that we are moving at a pace that is unsustainable.
We know what it means to be tired but not be able to rest. What it means to have a quiet moment, but our minds continue racing. We move from one thing to the next, always carrying the hope that perhaps the next achievement might give us what our hearts are longing for. And so, we keep on moving.
Augustine knew from experience what the mechanics of a busy and restless mind were. He was a man of ambition, intellect and a lot of earthly pursuits. Yet in all of that, he recognised that human restlessness is not a problem to be solved or a psychological flaw – it is a spiritual indicator or signpost. It points towards the One for whom we were made, towards the only Source big enough to satisfy.
He writes: “Thou hast formed us for Thyself…”
We were made for God.
Augustine’s Confession echoes what Paul wrote to the church in Colossae.
“…all things have been created through him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16 (NIV)
So often we live as if were created for somethings else. We can sometimes, very subtly, build our lives around work, families, ambitions, responsibilities, reputation and even our service to God. Good things can quietly become ultimate things. And we become occupied with doing for God that we forget the invitation to just be with Him.
“He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach” – Mark 3:14(NIV)
The invitation from Jesus was to be with Him before doing for Him. Abiding in Him always precedes fruitfulness (John 15:4-5).
Our hearts will experience misalignment whenever we try to live for ourselves.
Maybe this is why Jesus often withdrew to quiet places. He knew that this was the remedy to the restlessness in our hearts, that there was a rhythm to life: going and coming, working and resting, speaking and listening, giving and receiving.
Rest is not an interruption to the life God has given us or an escape from purpose. It is a vital part of it.
There is a big difference between stopping and resting. We can stop working without becoming still and truly resting. We can take a holiday without becoming fully present. We can sit in silence and our minds continue racing. We can even spend time with God while remaining preoccupied with everything we think we need to accomplish for Him.
“Be still, and know that I am God” – Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
Rest from the Lord goes so much deeper than just stopping or putting our responsibilities Down. It is allowing ourselves to remember Who God is, who we are in Him, and why we were created by Him. It is receiving the truth that He rejoices over us with signing and that we are loved by Him before we perform. It is remembering that God is God, and we are not. And perhaps, slowly, our restless will hearts begin to settle as we rest in Him.
What is the Invitation from the Lord from today?
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” – Mark 6:31(NIV)
We come away with Him from the noise and quiet down our scattered thoughts and senses and focus on the presence of God so that we can hear His voice again. We step out of our normal patterns and routines so that God can gently reveal to us what has been happening within us. We make space not because God is absent, but because we have often become too distracted to become aware and notice that He is already there.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
(Is it in productivity, control, approval, distraction, etc.?)
(Instead of fighting your anxiety or fatigue, ask God to show you where your soul is thirsty for His presence.)
(Hear Him whisper to your soul today: “I am your salvation.”)
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” – Lamentations 3:24
