Return To Your Rest, My Soul

By: Jenifer Metzger

Return to your rest, my soul,

for the Lord has been good to you.

Psalm 116:7 CSB

This past weekend our family had the heart wrenching task of saying goodbye to my grandparents home. My grandfather moved to heaven in 2019 and my grandmother followed in 2021, but we still had their home of nearly 60 years. Many times over the last few years I would go and just look out over the pasture, something that always brought peace and made me feel close to them. One thing I've learned with grief is that it never goes away. You never get over it. You just learn to live again.

After the loss of my grandfather, I slipped into a great depression. On the outside I functioned normally, on the inside I felt as thought I was dying. After being honest with my husband about my struggles and working towards healing, I began to feel as though I could breathe again. Then my grandmother passed and it started all over again. This time, however, I had the tools to help me. But visiting their home, seeing it empty, and knowing I'll never step foot inside again sent me in a spiral. That's when I read this verse in Psalm 116.

Return to your rest, my soul. God has been so good to you.

Loss is hard. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, the loss of a dream, the loss of a job, the loss of a family home, or whatever it may be, loss is hard to face. Yet, we can tell ourselves, return to your rest, God is good.

Just telling ourselves to rest and know He is good doesn't mean everything is magically better, but it does remind our heart and mind that through it all, He is good. Through it all, He is there. That no matter what we are facing or what the future holds, He is in control and everything will work out for His glory.

Friend, what is it you are facing right now? What is that thing that is threatening your peace and interrupting your rest? The thing holding you back from living? Write down Psalm 116:7 on a slip of paper and work on memorizing the words. Every time your heart begins to beat fast or anxiousness or depression come crawling in, say out loud, "Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you."

Come to Me, all of you who are weary

and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 CSB

Discussion:
1. Write down Psalm 116:7 and work on memorizing the words. When unrest comes, say the verse.
2. What are other ways you can remind yourself that God is good and everything will be okay?