In his Confessions, St. Augustine famously wrote, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
If I’m honest, my heart is restless today. While my day began early with Bible study, prayer, and exercise, I now find myself feeling somewhat aimless.
Is there work to be done? Of course. There is always work to be done. Are there exciting opportunities on the horizon? Absolutely. Have I enjoyed unhurried time in God’s presence? Without a doubt.
Yet, my heart is restless.
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I believe my restlessness is rooted in my focus on the possibilities and opportunities that God has before me instead of on God Himself.
What is the root cause of this restlessness? While I cannot speak for your personal situation, I can at least speak for myself. I believe my restlessness is rooted in my focus on the possibilities and opportunities that God has before me instead of on God Himself.
Let me give you an example. I am excited about the future at Copperfield Church. Last Sunday, we had several new families join our congregation. Even amid COVID, we have seen new families plugging in and stepping up to serve. These are exciting times, which often lead me to dream of what the future might hold at Copperfield.
Yet, when I begin to deal with the possible future at Copperfield and do not give due attention to the God who holds our future, I can become gripped with anxiety and concern about all the “what ifs” of ministry. In such moments, I am coming to realize that if I am not careful, I can become consumed with future possibilities and opportunities at the church I dearly love and fail to remember the God who deeply loves the church and me.
“If I attempt to make good things bear the total weight of my joy and contentment, they will break under the pressure.”
This means that the church that I love cannot be the ultimate source of my joy and contentment. This is true of my marriage, my children, my teaching career, my writing, or any other host of good things that God has graciously brought into my life. If I attempt to make those good things bear the total weight of my joy and contentment, they will break under the pressure. Only God in His sovereign, omnipotent power can supply lasting pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness. To paraphrase Augustine, my heart can only truly find rest in God.
When our hearts find rest in God, then we can rightly enjoy, appreciate, and be excited about the future opportunities and possibilities that God has before us because our affections have been rightly ordered. I can trust my future, the future of the church that I am blessed to serve, the future of my family that I am blessed to lead, the future of my teaching and writing that I am blessed to have, to the God who can do far more than I can ever ask, think, or imagine according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:10-22).
We can trust our restless hearts to the great God who cares for us and is committed to working all things to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We can rest in God Himself and truly enjoy His gifts instead of trying to turn those gifts into gods themselves.
Take your restless heart to God today. He cares for you.
Casey B. Hough is lead pastor at Copperfield Church with a Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He also blogs regularly at www.CaseyHough.com. Casey and his wife, Hannah, have three sons and two daughters.
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A version of this article originally posted on Knowing God Through His Word(https://knowinggod.substack.com/p/resting-in-god)
Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash
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