There is an ancient prayer that is meant to be said at the end of the day. “Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.” Often, we imagine resting as just relaxing and refreshing ourselves, but it is also about making room for the presence of God. Many of the distractions of the day keep us from an awareness of God’s still-speaking voice and the nudging of the Holy Spirit.
How do you use your off-time? Do you view it as a spiritual necessity as much as a physical one? What practices might help you to benefit from rest in ways beyond physical?
Tonight, after you’ve turned off the lights and before you fall asleep, pray, “I rest in you, O Lord.”