How Can We “Rest in the Lord”?

We live in a world that celebrates hustle, rewards exhaustion, and equates busyness with importance. The idea of rest can often feel very unrealistic or if we’re being honest, even irresponsible. Many people are convinced of this idea that rest comes after the breakthrough, after the season ends, or after we finally get everything under control. Jesus offers a radically and counter-culture invitation. He doesn’t call the strong, the put‑together, or the people who have it all figured out. He calls the weary.

Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

At Encounter Church in Palm Beach Gardens, we’ve spent the first four weeks of 2026 exploring what it truly means to rest in the Lord. Through the themes of trusting, abiding, and remaining, we’ve discovered that biblical rest isn’t an escape from life but rather, it’s learning to live life from a place of deep connection with Jesus. This resource brings those truths together into one simple question we believe all of us must ask:

How can we rest in the Lord—consistently, deeply, and biblically?

Rest Begins With an Invitation, Not an Achievement

One of the most freeing truths about Jesus’ invitation is who it’s actually for. Jesus doesn’t say, “Come to me once you fix it,” or “Come to me when you’re stronger.” He says, “Come to me… and I will give you rest.”

This is interesting because it is far different than anything we are used to. Rest in the Lord is not a reward for spiritual maturity, it’s a gift of grace. Jesus meets us right where we are at. In our exhaustion, not after it’s gone. This is incredibly important because many believers unknowingly bring a performance mindset into their faith. We assume closeness with God comes after consistency, peace comes after obedience, and rest comes after we’ve proven ourselves faithful. But when we look at Scripture it shows us a different way.

Psalm 103:8
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

If you are tired. Tired emotionally, tired spiritually, or even tired mentally; Here’s the good news: you are NOT disqualified. You ARE invited.

Rest is not something you earn. It’s something you receive.

Trusting God: The Foundation of Rest

You Cannot Rest in What You Do Not Trust

One of the greatest barriers to rest is control. Read that again… One of the greatest barriers to rest is control. Many of us long for peace but are unwilling to release outcomes, timelines, finances, or even expectations. We want to “rest in God” but are unwilling to “trust in God”. Rest and trust are inseparable. As we explored in Week 2 of our series, trust begins where control ends.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Leaning requires confidence. You don’t lean on something you believe might collapse. Think of the last time you sat in a chair… Did you check it? Ensure that the engineering of the chair was good and that it would be able to sustain your weight? No, of course not! Why? Because most of the time, chairs have not failed you. Why is it different with God? You cannot rest in God if you do not trust Him to hold what you surrender.

Control keeps your soul tense. Trust on the other hand allows your soul to breathe.

When we insist on managing everything ourselves, we remain alert, anxious, and restless. Trust, on the other hand, allows us to settle. It doesn’t remove the responsibilities of live but it does relocate the burden.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Rest begins when the weight moves off your shoulders.

Trust Shifts the Weight You Carry

Many people feel exhausted not because life is too busy, but because they are carrying what only God was meant to carry. Decisions, outcomes, other people’s choices, and future uncertainties quietly but quickly pile up until the soul feels heavy.

Trust is the act of placing that weight back into God’s hands where it belongs.

Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.

You are called to obedience. God is responsible for outcomes.

When those roles are confused and you begin to play the role of God, rest disappears. But when trust shifts the burden, rest becomes more than a moment, it becomes a posture.

Abiding in Christ: Where Rest Is Sustained

Rest Flows From Connection, Not Effort

Many believers assume rest comes after effort, after working for God, after proving ourselves to him, as if exhaustion is the price of faithfulness. But Jesus interestingly teaches the exact opposite. Rest is not the reward for productivity… It’s the result of proximity.

John 15:4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

A branch does not strive to produce fruit. It stays connected. Fruit flows naturally when connection is maintained. In the same way, rest is sustained when intimacy with Christ is protected.

Here’s a sobering truth for you today: you can be active for God and still disconnected from God.

Effort without connection will always lead to exhaustion.

Drifting Happens When Abiding Becomes Optional

Most “spiritual drift” does not begin with rebellion, it begins with neglect. Think about it, Prayer becomes rushed. Scripture becomes secondary. Time with God becomes something we fit in rather than build around.

James 4:8
Come near to God and he will come near to you.

If God feels “far” remember this: God does not withdraw. We drift.

When abiding becomes optional, rest becomes fragile. What begins to happen is we live off yesterday’s prayer, last week’s sermon, or past experiences or “sparks” with God instead of present connection. And when connection fades, rest fades with it.

You cannot live from rest if you only visit the source occasionally.

Practicing Abiding Daily

One thing people will often fail to forget is that abiding is not passive or accidental. It is something that is practiced through intentional rhythms that ultimately keep us connected to Christ. Rhythms and habits like: scripture before screens, silence before noise, presence over productivity.

Isaiah 40:31
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

Strength is renewed through ongoing dependence, not occasional encounters or “sparks” in the faith. When we abide, we stop reacting from pressure and start responding from peace.

Remaining With Jesus: Rest That Lasts

Starting Is Easy—Remaining Is the Challenge

Our culture is good at “starting well” but weak “finishing well”. We are good at beginning things, but are weak at endurance. The same pattern often appears in many people's faith. Many people start strong but struggle to stay rooted over time.

Jesus never called us to a momentary experience. He called us to a lasting relationship with Him.

John 15:4
Remain in me, as I also remain in you

Remaining does not happen accidentally. It requires commitment, not convenience.

Remaining Protects Rest Through Endurance

Remaining with Jesus does not remove hardship, it just reshapes how we walk through it. Endurance is what keeps rest intact when life feels unresolved.

James 1:12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life.

Rest is not maintained by emotional momentum but by steadfast faith. When faith becomes steady, rest becomes stable.

Choosing to Remain

Remaining is a daily decision. It means choosing to stay connected even when faith feels costly, waiting feels long, or answers feel delayed.

Isaiah 26:3
‍You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

What you remain in will shape who you become.

Rest Is Found in a Person

One thing that is incredibly important for us to remember when it comes to rest is that Jesus never promised rest through striving. He promised rest through relationship. Rest is not found in a season, a break, or a completed checklist, it is found in a person and that person is Jesus.

Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Whether you are new to faith or have followed Jesus for years, the invitation is the same. Come. Trust. Abide. Remain.

This is the heart behind Encounter Church and our desire to help people experience lasting spiritual renewal. Not just on Sundays, but every day.

If you’ve been asking how to rest in the Lord, the answer is simple:

Rest begins when you come to Jesus. Rest grows when you trust Him. Rest is sustained when you abide in Him. Rest lasts when you choose to remain.

And that kind of rest changes everything.