Intercessor, I have a question for you today: Are you overextending yourself?

You know what I mean: Work all day, pick up the kids, soccer practice, prayer meeting on Monday night, healing rooms on Tuesday night, choir rehearsal on Wednesday night, second job Thursday night, collapse on Friday night, desperately try to do laundry on Saturday, and back at it all over again with church and family on Sunday? That’s saying nothing of being married, paying attention to your spouse, going to other activities for your children, and occasionally squeezing at least one friend into your schedule for lunch.

Who is praying on the wall?

View Comments (13)

Or, maybe your schedule doesn’t look quite that bad — but you’re still stressed out. Life still feels overwhelming to you, and you’re exhausted and longing for sanctuary from the stress of this world.

If so, friend, I want to encourage you to examine yourself and your life today. Why? Because overextension is not the will of God.

Instead, rest is the will of God.

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it (Hebrews 4:1).

This scripture clearly tells us that we should actually be in fear of not resting. And in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4, the Lord explains that failure to rest actually offends and angers Him. He tells us in those sacred chapters that He actually made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years because they would not enter His rest.

Also, in Hebrews, the Lord further explains:

Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:6–9).

This passage clearly explains that we are to rest in God every day that is called “Today.” That means every day that you are alive, you’re supposed to rest. Whether it’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday — rest is God’s will for you.

But friend, are you obeying God in this? Are you resting in faith that God will provide and perfect all things that concern you?

“Rest” doesn’t mean a total absence of work.

It would be silly to assume that “resting” means you don’t go to your job or support your family. That would be presumptuous; the Bible says that the person who won’t work shouldn’t get to eat either, and that people who won’t take care of their families are worse than unbelievers.

However, resting does mean an absence of striving.

When you’re out doing things every single day, morning, noon, and night, that’s called striving. You might even call it “driving and striving.” That level of work or activity doesn’t benefit anybody. It wears you down in body, soul, and spirit. Overextending yourself like that takes your eyes off Jesus, destroys your health, and prevents you from spending the time with the Lord that He needs you to spend with Him in order to do His full work in your heart and life.

That is the kind of overextension I am talking about.

Friend, can you trust God enough to stop driving and striving?

Can you trust God enough to put some margin back into your life?

Can you trust God enough to invite Him to order your steps in His Word? As the Psalmist prayed:

Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me (Psalm 119:133).

Also, can you trust Him enough to believe that He will provide for you while you obey Him by resting?

If you’re willing to give rest a try but you’re not sure how, here are some tips that have always helped me:

• Be sure you’re getting plenty of sleep at night, and rearrange your schedule as needed so that you are.
• Be sure you’re taking the time to seek God first — including first in your schedule every day. One-on-one time alone with God should be your first priority every single morning. If you put other things before Him, they become idols in your life, since they take precedence over Him and eject Him from first place. (Don’t worry; whatever time you give God in the morning, He will more than make up to you by means of His grace and power flowing through you all day to get more things done in less time.)
• Take one day each week to rest without working at all. This is a Biblical pattern throughout Scripture, and the human body needs this level of physical rest.
• On work days, simply ask the Lord to guide you through your tasks. Moment by moment, listen to His still, small voice, and He will help you know what to do next. When you pray and obey in this manner, you will experience a tremendous grace flowing through your life — and you’ll accomplish more than you ever dreamed you could, all without stress.
• Allow plenty of margin between your appointments and in your post-work time. You will be happier, more fulfilled, less stressed, and closer to God if you allow yourself downtime and quiet hours. Stress and mega-doses of activity squeeze Him out of your focus.

“Resting in the Lord” doesn’t mean you never work. On the contrary, Scripture commands us to work diligently, as unto the Lord.

However, resting in God does mean that we seek His face, believe Him, and do only those things He commands us to do from moment to moment. And it means we don’t try to take over responsibilities in our flesh that actually belong to Him to do.

Is the Father speaking to your heart about rest? Comment below!

Jamie Rohrbaugh is the founder and CEO of From His Presence. She is the author of Getting to Know the Sevenfold Holy Spirit, and she seeks to equip you to carry His manifest glory everywhere you go. Her resources have been published by YouVersion Bible Plans and in Charisma magazine, as well as on The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and various other ministry outlets. You can find free mentoring on her podcast, Take Your Territory with Jamie Rohrbaugh, which is available through your favorite podcast streaming app. Download her free prayer tool, Praying the Names of God: 555 Biblical Names of God and How to Use Them in Prayer and Worship, here. Photo Credit: MART PRODUCTION/Pexels.