How to Find Rest in God Amid the Chaos of Your Life

Welcome to our last Friday devotional post from the book Girl to Girl!  My 12-year-old daughter Bekah and I are excited to share another post adapted from the book today. We wrote the book with a vision for moms and daughters to read each devotion together, but we invite you to join us even if you aren’t a mother or daughter.  If your head is spinning as a result of Christmas preparation today, this is your invitation to slow down for a few short moments and find rest in God.

How to Find Rest in God

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.

Isaiah 66:14

Mom’s Thoughts on How to Find Rest in God:

Do you ever try to pray before bed but end up falling asleep?  For years, I felt guilty because my bedtime prayers always put me to sleep.  In fact, if I was having trouble sleeping, I would start praying because I knew praying would help me drift off to sleep.

After feeling guilty about falling asleep when I prayed, God showed me something I’d never considered.  Bekah was a toddler at the time, and she often had trouble sleeping.  I would slip into her bed and hold her until she drifted off to sleep.  Watching her fall asleep in my arms wasn’t a burden.  It was a gift.  Watching her drift peacefully to sleep filled my heart with tender love for her.

God gently showed me that this is how he feels when his children fall asleep in his arms.  Since then, I’ve made it a habit to fall asleep with my thoughts focused on God and his loving arms around me.

God wants to hold you in his arms as you drift off to sleep each night.  This is a healing, restful, peace-filled way to end each day.  When you lie down to sleep tonight, imagine God holding you in his arms and smiling over you as you drift off to sleep in the comfort of his embrace.

Girl to Girl (From Bekah):

We all need sleep.  Our bodies need time to recuperate after long days.  God wants us to learn to rest in him too.  How do we rest in God’s arms?  I’m glad you asked.

You can rest in God’s arms by lying in your bed at night and reading your Bible or a devotional book.  Or you can rest in his arms by lying still and knowing he is with you and he loves you.

Many babies like to be held, and they fall asleep easily when resting in the arms of a loved one.  God wants us to be like little children, which means we know how to lean into him and rest in his arms.

Thinking about God before you drift off to sleep will help lift your stress and worries.  Reminding yourself that he loves you and cares for you is a great way to end any day.  Try it.  You might be surprised by the peace you find.  You might also be surprised that this helps you fall asleep on nights when you feel restless!

Talk About It:

• How often do you have trouble falling asleep at night?  What do you usually do when you can’t fall asleep?
• Do you ever fall asleep during times of prayer?  After reading today’s devotion, what is God showing you about how he feels when you fall asleep while praying?

Pray Together:

Lord, thank you for your great love for us.  Thank you for being a loving Father and for your desire to hold us in your arms and give us comfort.  Help us learn to find our rest, peace, and comfort in you—whether we’re falling asleep in your arms at the end of a long day or enjoying our favorite hobby while thinking about your love.  Amen.

Journal Later:

God is the ultimate source of comfort in our lives, but it’s easy to turn to other sources for comfort.  We feel tempted to turn to friendships, food, TV, social media, and even shopping.  It’s not wrong to find comfort in friendships or to relax in front of the TV with a bowl of ice cream, but if these habits become our ultimate sources of comfort, we will miss out on finding rest in God.  Where do you turn for comfort at the end of a hard day?  What would it look like for you to find rest in God instead?

Get Your Copy of Girl to Girl Today

Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is on sale on Amazon here!  Each devotion is written in the format above and also includes a journaling section for mothers and daughters to write journal entries.  Have you started thinking about fresh starts for the New Year?  Start your New Year with a new habit of reading a daily devotional book. Let Girl to Girl be your guide!