Pray through These 10 Verses to Find Ultimate Rest in Christ
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Most of us have awakened in the middle of the night to anxious thoughts that rattle our nerves and cause us to lose precious hours of restorative rest. Many of us have wandered the halls of fear in hospitals, courts, and medical offices. When we get anxious, we lose physical rest and spiritual rest — which means rest in Christ. God calls us to rest in our Lord and Savior, because we are united to Him (Romans 6:5).
Following are 10, pointed prayers for unsettled thoughts that may agitate and make your nerves unsteady. I pray that as you personalize them, they help calm your anxious thoughts and point you to Jesus, where we find our true rest.
1. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
My Lord, Jesus,
I come to You with a heart that is heavy with the cares of this life. I am so tired from heartache and despair. Forgive me when I don’t lean into You first, God of all comfort and rest. You tell us to come to You, dear Jesus. And here I am once again, pouring my heart out to You, knowing You hear me, knowing You love me, knowing You will give me the rest I so desperately need.
Thank You for eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that desperately needs You every moment. Thank You that my heart and soul never lack Your grace, for in it, I find the rest You so graciously give.
I love You, Lord,
Amen.
2. “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 5b-6).
Lord Jesus,
Your Word says the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in You. Help me to hold that glorious truth close to my heart and in my head. I can so easily get caught up in what I cannot do and forget what You have done, are doing, and will do!
By Your grace I am being sanctified day by day to be more like You. What an overwhelmingly wonderful truth! I don’t need to be anxious. You hear my every request. You took all my sins and cast them away at Calvary. I can rest in You, knowing You care for me. And as I ask You for help, I thank You and praise You for Your grace.
In Your magnificent name I pray,
Amen.
3. “’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
King Jesus,
I pray I can boast in my weakness just like Paul. If I try to be strong on my own, I tend to think I am in charge. Lord, I am so thankful You are sovereign and You use my frailty to keep me trusting and focused on You. I give You all my weakness so You can change it to Your glory as You strengthen me.
I am so thankful we are not under the law. Instead, we rejoice in Your grace, knowing You fulfilled the law. Thank You, most gracious Savior, for giving me a clear path to Your throne of grace. Nothing and no one can separate me from You or from Your love, mercy, and grace, and the blessed rest I enjoy because of Your grace.
Lord Jesus, it’s in Your name I pray,
Amen.
4. “For we who have believed enter the rest, in keeping with what He has said” (Hebrews 4:3).
Jesus,
My heart hurts for people who don’t know You and love You as Savior and Lord. I was one of them, but by Your grace You saved me! Please pull my beloved ones out of unbelief so they too may enjoy life forever with You, dear Lord. Take those who have long rejected You. Change their hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, soft hearts to embrace Your Word and Your Spirit at work in them.
Thank You for giving believers the rest You promised. When I find myself leaning toward despair, I cry out to You. I tell myself to rest in You, and You always answer my prayer with hope that overcomes any doubt. To truly rest in You blocks the enemy’s advances. Lead me as you led King David when he said You lead me by still waters. Not mere words, Lord, but faith in You.
Thank You that this rest is not a temporary refuge. Your rest is forever, because it is with You.
I will praise You forever,
Amen.
5. “The ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 8:4).
Lord Jesus,
I am so very thankful I can see You everywhere in the Scriptures. The whole Bible is about You, Lord.
When I think about Noah and his family on that ark, I know they faced a time of testing and tribulation. Maybe You shut them in so they couldn’t witness what was going on outside the ark. Surely You protected them for Your righteous purpose. You saved eight people, and re-set humanity. You are so gracious. So holy. So just.
And just as the ark bearing Noah came to rest on the mountains, You carry Your church safe through any storm the world throws at us. You will bring us to our eternal rest in heaven one day. Until then, though, we rest in You and Your faithfulness, grace, love, peace, and holiness. Lord, remind me that resting in You means believing everything You’ve taught us in Your Word. Thank You for revealing Yourself and for calling us to You and Your perfect rest.
In Your matchless name I pray,
Amen.
6. “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8).
Lord Jesus,
When I meet with my brothers and sisters on Sundays, I feel Your grace overflowing me. I love that You have given us to each other so we can worship You together. Lord Jesus, I pray that each Sabbath day, each Lord's Day, You continue to cause me to rest in You. To rest from the work that you've given me to do during the week. And even though that work is good, it's better to take that one day to rest and to reflect on You and Your gospel.
I pray the Sabbath rest prepares me for the week to come. Thank you for pouring out Your grace in our time of worship of You, reading Your Word, hearing Your Word taught by our faithful pastor, and partaking of Your supper together with the saints. I am so thankful to You for what You've done. I am so thankful that You came and that You are the Lord of the Sabbath. This is not a law we have to worry about keeping. This is your grace overflowing in us and giving us rest in You.
I praise You, and I thank You.
For it's in your magnificent and holy name I pray,
Amen.
7. “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
My Savior and my King,
You are glorious and You are love. Because You saved me, I no longer linger in selfishness. Because I love You and am so thankful to You for saving me, I want to follow Your commands and love my neighbors the best I can. I don’t want to be noticed; I want You to be noticed.
And as I gather with Your church each week, I long to encourage my fellow brothers and sisters. We can rest, knowing Your love for us has saved us. You planned all our good works even before we were born! We can surely rest in that and not in any belief that our good works will do what You have already done. Thank You, King Jesus, for giving us rest in You.
All praise to You,
Amen.
8. “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance” (John 10:10).
Jesus,
I know that abundant life in You includes the amazing physical and spiritual rest You give to us. Your Word tells us that no one and nothing can separate us from Your love. Thank you Lord Jesus.
We are God's children, and one day we will see You face to face. Nothing and no one can steal our joy because our joy is held within us by the power of Your Spirit and because of that, we have joy. Because of Your promises, and because no one can snatch us out of Your hands, we rest. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for who You are. Thank You for what You've done, and thank You for life eternal in Your precious and holy name.
For it's in Your name I pray and give thanks,
Amen.
9. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
My Lord and Savior,
Thank You for coming and putting on flesh for even me! I choose to rest in You and Your Word. Your disciples witnessed Your glory and joyfully wrote about You as they shared Your gospel.
You came to save us and left Your Spirit to sustain us and grow us more and more into Your image. I praise Your holy name for the incredible rest that truth brings to each of our souls.
I pray, Lord Jesus, that no matter how this world acts, I can display the rest that comes only through knowing You as Lord and Savior. Your presence is everlasting and our hope and rest are found only in You.
Thank You for coming to save us.
In Your perfect and holy name, I pray,
Amen.
10. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).
Lord Jesus,
Sometimes I am so burdened by my doubts. I feel like I’ve failed You and I wonder sometimes if I’m truly saved. I am constantly worn down by the “do” lists people try to add to my faith in You. I know Your law is good and holy, but no way can I obey its commands for one millisecond. I have never loved You with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I ask Your forgiveness for that.
But, oh, my Savior and Lord, Jesus, You have brought grace and truth to and for all who believe in You and love You as Lord. You are the only One who can perfectly obey the law. You lived the life I could not live, and You died the death I deserve. In You I find my rest. For every time I pray, hear your Word rightly taught, and partake of Your Supper, Your grace floods my soul to overflowing.
Thank You for Your grace, for without it I can find no rest. I praise You for what You’ve done, for what You are doing, and for what You will do. And on that day when we see You face-to-face, because You have glorified me, I will be able to fully realize the gift of your grace I can’t yet comprehend because it’s so vast.
Thank You for the rest only You can give.
In Your precious and gracious name, I pray,
Amen.
Once again, I pray these prayers help you focus on Christ and the rest He gives so abundantly.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/leolintang
