A lot of hustle and bustle goes on in the world today. People are worked up. People are busy, and most of the time with unproductive work. People cannot show tangible results for a supposed busy day.

So many people who seem to be externally successful are struggling internally. Mental health issues are common today. People are grappling with suicidal thoughts, depression and high blood pressure; all of which points to the fact that people are restless. This raises a burgeoning question, how can one find rest in a busy world with God’s help? The following offers some answers to this question:

1. Spend Quality Time Daily in God’s Presence: God’s presence is the ultimate source of true rest. In Exodus 33:14, God promised Moses and the Israelites, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” As you grow in the discipline of staying in God’s presence daily, the level of the inner rest that you experience increases. There is going to be an increased level of serenity and tranquility. Consequently, it will lead to external rest. Like Solomon, you will experience rest on every side of your life (1 Kings 5:4). People who rarely find time to meditate in the Word of God and pray will often be anxious, agitated and worried. If you want your heart to constantly be at peace, the secret is to get to His presence, always praying, supplicating and giving thanks (Philippians 4:6-7). He has given you an open invitation to come if you need rest. He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). Will you come?

2. Find and Fulfill God’s Purpose for Your Life: God has a specific purpose for everyone on the face of the earth. God’s word to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5 is also true of everyone. He said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” You might not be called to be a prophet like Jeremiah but God definitely has an assignment for you. Remember, “…we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). You will always feel restless if you don’t have that conviction or sense of fulfillment that your life is being spent for what it was made for. You will be lost in the rat race. You will be under pressure when it seems others are making progress and you are stuck to a spot. You will begin to feel jealous and compete with others. You will make wrong decisions because you want to please people. Discovering and fulfilling your purpose keeps you from distractions and helps you maximize your time, resources and energy which consequently leads to inner peace and rest.

3. Live One Day at Time: One of the causes of restlessness is the uncertainty about what might happen tomorrow. When there is no guarantee of a future, you are bound to become agitated. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus warned three times, “Do not worry.” This is a very clear commandment. Specifically, in verse 34, He said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” You cannot be worried and also be at rest. The solution is to live one day at a time. Prayerfully trust Him for the need of each day. Don’t let the anxiety about tomorrow incapacitate you today. Learn to always cast all your cares on Him since He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

4. Be Content: Another reason people become restless is the desire to acquire what they don’t need. In a world where materialism has become the ultimate yardstick to define success, many are killing themselves just to belong to the society. People are hustling just acquire things to satisfy their lusts. 1 Timothy 6:8 says, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” In other words, once you have food and clothing, you should be satisfied. It is the lack of contentment with these basic things that makes you restless.

Through God’s grace, we can live a restful life in a restless world. We don’t have to live the same cumbersome and busy life that the people of the world live. All we have to do is align our lives with His words and we will begin to have and experience His rest.

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