Whispers Of Rest

Have you ever felt tired and weary, that your soul is craving rest?

I’m sure we’ve all been there.  The pressures of life and the burdens of our responsibilities are often relentless, and can easily overwhelm us.  The noise of the world and the cacophony of different voices around us can deafen us to God’s gentle whispers.

“Whispers Of Rest,” by Bonnie Gray is a 40 day devotional journey to rediscover the power of rest- to allow our hearts to be renewed as we take time and space to withdraw and tune our ears to God’s gentle whispers of love.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to be part of the launch team for this book as it tied in so well with my word for the year, which is Voice, and I wanted to make the space to listen better to what God had to say.

Also, I was tired.  Life was feeling too full of pressure and I knew I needed to take a step back and make some space to be still.

I found Whispers Of Rest a helpful guide for this journey.  Bonnie’s writing is soothing and poetic.  Each day’s devotion consist of a short reflection on a Bible passage, some words that God whispers to us and a prayer to whisper back to  him.  There are also questions for reflection and journaling, and a challenge- something practical to incorporate into the day to make space for rest.  These are simple but effective- for example, going for a 10 minute walk, listening to a worship song, taking a photo of something beautiful, or buying some flowers.

Working through this book definitely helped me slow down: to stop and notice the beauty around me, to prioritise time where I could pour out my heart to God through prayer and journaling, to make more space for things that bring me joy.

Here are a few of my takeaways from the book:

• There will always be more to do, but we have to choose to make time for rest in the midst of it.  In Mark 6, Jesus and his disciples are busy.  There are so many people demanding their attention that they don’t even have time to eat, but Jesus calls the disciples to step away from the crowd and rest.

• Frequently when I want to hear God, it is because I am seeking direction- I want to know what God wants me to do- but often God’s whispers are not to tell us what we should do, but to let us know that we are loved.

• If God has given us a dream, it is not hard work or our own efforts that will bring it to fruition; it will happen God’s way, in God’s time.  Our part is to draw close to God and listen to his voice.

If you are weary and looking for rest, or you simply want to develop practices to help you be still and hear God’s voice more clearly, I would definitely recommend this book.

You can find out more here, or order on Amazon at these links: UK, US.

There is also a Whispers Of Rest online book club beginning on Monday 5th June.  As well as the chance to work through the book in community, it features six weekly teaching videos from Bonnie to supplement the book.  It’s free, and you can find out more here, or by watching the video below.

Finally, if you need a moment to rest just now, here is a short playlist of songs I put together that help me to rest.  Why not take a few minutes to listen to one of them and be still in God’s presence?

Be Still My Soul- Kari Jobe
Whisper- Laura Story
Rest- Matt Maher
Breathe- Jonny Diaz