Rest and Balance

NEHEMIAH WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL

Why must Divine rest be entered into before effective Kingdom work can take place?
How does daily intimacy in God’s Presence restore perspective about who He is and who we are?
In what ways might imbalance in our lives be delaying the fulfilment of God’s call and purpose?

Rest and Balance

The call of God is just as much an inward activity as it is an outward one, and the inward activity must come first. There are no exceptions to that rule. Any and all effective Kingdom work that we do must be birthed out of that inner place of Divine rest. 

The place of rest is where we learn to walk as disciples and royal priests. 

This is where we will learn to hear His voice. 

This is where He will whisper to our hearts and remind us of our Divine purpose and destiny. 

It is so important to be diligent to enter daily into that Glorious, empowering Divine rest through simply setting aside time to sit/lie/weep in the Presence of the LORD and become ever closer to Him by doing so. Invite Him to direct your prayers and worship – and your destiny – out of that Holy Place of Perfect Shalom. 

Sometimes, we can lose perspective of the immensity of our God and His attributes such as His majesty, beauty, Glory, and righteousness. It is too easy to say “LORD You are Holy” from the midst of a busy place (particularly a busy place of serving Him), but to have completely lost the sense of what “Holy” actually means. 

Pause, take a deep breath, and remember every moment of every day and night, just who it really is that has made you with such unfailing love, nurtured you, and called you to fulfil a unique and glorious Divine destiny. 

When you take the time and allow yourself to be reminded who He is, you will then be in a position to be reminded by Him exactly who you are. 

Divine rest is the number one component of a balanced life. For all of us, there will be an area, or perhaps more than one, where we will need to make minor adjustments to bring our lives into correct balance, and thus re-align ourselves with the plans and purposes of the Most High. 

If your life is in balance, those around you will benefit; but if your life is out of balance, those around you will suffer. 

One of the major reasons for what, from our perspective, seems like the delay of our call/purpose/destiny, is that God will intentionally hit the “pause” button as He waits for us to re-balance and re-align. His heart’s desire is for us to experience fulfilment and not frustration; and to succeed, not fail. God is the author of peace, not confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), and of rest and balance, not of burnout (Matthew 11: 28).

Our work for God must be done out of a place of rest in Him. God knows the importance of building the right foundations in Him if we are going to successfully accomplish all that He has planned for us since the beginning of time. 

Do we? 

Here are some points to reflect upon as we enter a new year.

Resting in intimacy restores Divine perspective, revealing God’s holiness and our identity (Matthew 11:28).

Divine balance prevents burnout and sustains long-term Kingdom effectiveness (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Divine rest and realignment precede fulfilment, success, peace, and fruitful Kingdom work (Hebrews 4:10).

Let’s pray. LORD, please draw us into Your rest, so that all of our work for You is always done from a place of resting in You. Help us to realign our hearts with Your purposes, to restore balance where it has been lost, and to renew our perspective of who You are. May our lives be always established upon the foundations of peace, intimacy, and obedience. Amen.

This devotional is written by Pastor Steve Harris, the founder of Global Influencers, an organization that trains and equips leaders and emerging leaders to establish anointed communities that transform nations by restoring Kingdom culture from grassroots to government in the villages, cities, regions, and nations of the world. He is also the Content Development Assistant in the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community.