For a brief period of my life, I was a sailing instructor at a center on the east coast of England. One particular weekend we had a group of adults and children attending to learn how to sail. The weather was not the greatest. A storm with high winds raged on Saturday morning as we prepared the boats. I would rather have gone home and stayed indoors for the day—but that was not the head instructor’s intention.
Two tall, well-built men and a young girl were assigned to my sailing dinghy. In the wind, I struggled to keep the boat level. Waves splashed over the bow and side of the boat as I urged the men to adjust positions. At one point, I looked down and noticed the young girl crying. She was terrified by the storm. So, I brought the dinghy alongside the head instructor’s motorboat moored in the middle of the estuary and she stepped aboard.
The sailboat provided no rest, but leaving her in the motorboat anchored in the middle of the storm, she felt safe.
It’s the same for us. The storms may not stop raging in our lives—our circumstances may not change—but the Bible tells us we can still find rest in God. Psalm 62 gives us that invitation.
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him (Psalm 62:1).
David, the writer of Psalm 62 was in the middle of a storm. People tried to destroy him and bring him down
So many enemies against one man—all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence. They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. (Psalm 62:3–4 NLT).
Yet he chose to trust in God and rest in him.
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. (Psalm 62:5–7).
But how? That’s what we want to know, isn’t it? How did David and how do we find that rest in God?
David tells us:
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge (Psalm 62:8 NLT emphasis mine.)
I like that—pour out your heart. It’s the same encouragement we hear in Lamentations 2:19 NLT: “Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer.”
We don’t find rest in things—a day at the spa, an escape to the country, or a distraction on a screen. We find rest in relationship—with God himself—when we’re honest before him and dependent on him.
Anchored in God’s Presence
Prayer is the practice of finding rest. It steadies our souls when everything around us feels unsettled. Prayer is that anchor that holds us secure and safe while the storm rages.
Too often we chase rest in quick fixes—scrolling through social media, escaping for a weekend, or numbing our minds with entertainment—but those things can’t heal a restless soul. True rest begins with presence: being still before the God who holds us steady.
Like the girl in my boat, peace came when she was anchored somewhere safe. We, too, find that stillness when we climb into God’s presence and let him hold us.
Therefore, says Hebrews 6:18 (NLT), “We who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence.”
This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. (Hebrews 6:19 NLT).
When we bring our restless hearts to God, His peace doesn’t remove the storm—it anchors us through it.
This week, take a few minutes to be still before God. Simply sit in his presence and pour out your heart.
Prayer stills the restless soul and anchors us in God’s peace.
Pray
Lord God, when storms rage in my life, I will remember that you are with me. You provide everything I need so I will wait on you. You are solid and steady, so I will not be shaken. You are like a safe harbor.
And so, I will come to you with my worries and my fears. I will pour out my heart to you and know that you will quiet my heart, and still my thoughts. Let me breathe in your peace and remember that you hold me secure. Teach me to find rest not in what changes, but in who you are. Amen.
