How can rest be more than just sleeping?
May 18 - 24, 2025 | Always Peachy Devotionals | Rest Week 4
Do you ever wake up tired?
You aren’t alone, my friends. If there is a pandemic still raging across the world, it is one of exhaustion. It’s everywhere, and no one seems to be able to figure it out. But the solution isn’t about sleeping.
Gracious, if we could sleep enough to catch up on our rest deficit, it would be so much easier. But rest and sleep aren’t the same things. I hadn’t really understood how to talk about this until several years ago when I met Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith. I don’t even remember the first time I met her. It had to be before 2019. But Dr. Saundra had a unique (to me) way of talking about rest. Around the same time I did the Sabbath Bible study by Priscilla Shirer, and my entire perception about rest shifted.
Granted, I am still learning how to incorporate all of that into my daily life, and some days it works, while other days not so much. But we live life one step at a time, so we can only do the best we can in the moment until the next moment arrives.
You may have seen the banner at the bottom of this month’s devotions pointing to Dr. Saundra’s book Sacred Rest. I highly recommend it. It’s a thought-provoking conversation about the real consequences of denying your body the rest God created for us to use.
And we’re not just talking about sleep here, folks. Sleep is good. Sleep is necessary. But just because you sleep doesn’t mean you rest. Honestly, some of the most restful moments in my life have been when I’ve been moving around or working in some way.
So this week we’re going to talk about several different types of rest and why they matter and why we need them. And if you are interested in going deeper on the topic of rest, please grab a copy of Dr. Saundra’s amazing book, Sacred Rest. It’s a game changer.
Monday - Spiritual Rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
Tuesday - Emotional Rest (1 John 3:20)
Wednesday - Mental Rest (Isaiah 26:3)
Thursday - Sensory Rest (Psalm 62:5)
Friday - Physical Rest (Psalm 23:2-3)
You can rest. It’s a choice. You have permission. You have more than permission; you have a command. It’s just a difficult thing to choose to do when it feels like you’re overwhelmed with responsibilities.
It’s a challenge to be still. But that’s okay. God can help us do impossible things, even learning how to sit still. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your rest is up to you. Yes, you have to choose it. You have to make space for it. But true rest is a gift that God helps us obtain.
The best way to get rest? Ask Him for it. That’s what our memory verse for this week is about, Psalm 116:7.
A simple prayer. An easy request. Our souls can rest because God is good. We can trust Him. We can lean on Him. We can know for sure that He will take care of us and everyone else.
No matter what’s happening in your life right now, can you still say that God has been good to you? I hope you can. I hope you can look past the temporary struggles and troubles and see what God is doing in your heart. He never stops working, and He’s always got a plan.
Give Him a chance to show you. Make space in your life to let Him give you rest.
Praying for you this week.
Amy
Remember! These Sunday intro emails are free, but if you want the actual daily devotions, you need to subscribe: