Rest in the Goodness of God
— By M.T. Clark — P-1971, 05/23/2026 — Today’s Audio Podcast
Today’s Message on YouTube:
Today’s photo of a hanging basket of bright pink and lavender petunias, a gravel driveway curving through the lawn, three red Adirondack chairs gathered under a small Japanese maple, and a canopy of tall green trees lit by golden evening sun comes to us an anonymous Facebook friend who shared this view of their own little piece of paradise back on May 19th, 2021.
Well, it’s Saturday, and I share this peaceful photo with the hope that you find a few moments this weekend to slow down, breathe deep, and notice the goodness of God in the place where He has planted you. Family, friends, a quiet yard, an unhurried morning — these are all gifts from the Lord. May your Memorial Day weekend be a good one.
Our series, “Walking in the Spirit,” continues with a truth about rest.
Rest in the Goodness of God
The Spirit-led life is a life of rest.
It’s not laziness. It’s not retreat from responsibility. It’s not avoiding the work the Lord has placed in front of us. But it is a life of Rest, the kind of rest Jesus promised us when He said:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” — Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)
Do you hear what He is offering? He’s not offering a life free from work — He still gives us a yoke. He’s not offering a life free from burdens — He still gives us a burden. But the Jesus does say that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
The work of the Spirit-led life is not heavy because the Holy Spirit Himself carries it with us. We are not pulling the plow alone. We are yoked together with the Lord who promises us that walking with Him will be the kind of work that restores us rather than wears us down.
That is the secret of finding God’s rest. It is not that we won’t have to put forth effort and work. It is that our efforts and work will be blessed by God’s presence and help.
Hebrews 4:9-11 (NKJV) tells us: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest…”
Notice the language: Let us be diligent to enter that rest.
We have to work to rest. We have to choose to lay down the striving. We have to actively cease from the works of self-effort that we keep going back to.
The flesh does not naturally rest in the Lord. The flesh naturally strives, performs, and hustles to prove itself.
Entering His rest means saying no to all of that and trusting that God is enough — enough for our salvation, enough for our sanctification, enough for our daily provision, and enough for our future.
I have learned, slowly, that rest is an invitation. The Lord has built seasons of rest into the rhythm of life — not as a reward for finished work, but as an act of faith that He is enough. In those seasons He reminds us that we are not the engine of our own lives. He is.
The bills will get paid because He provides. The work will get done because He has made us for that purpose. The relationships will work out because He gives us wisdom and love to do what’s right. Our rest on Saturday is an act of faith that says “God is good and He will help and sustain us.”
So today, brothers and sisters, rest. Sit with someone you love. Eat a slow meal. Notice the light coming through the trees. Talk to God without an agenda. If the weather is good, sit outside. If the weather is bad, sit by a window.
Take time to be grateful. Take time to be still. Take time to remember that you are loved by the Lord who keeps you on the path even when you are not walking on it — because the path was set before you, and rest is part of His way.
The same Spirit who has walked you through the week is the same Spirit who will walk you into the next one. He does not need you to keep striving. He needs you to keep trusting. That is what Saturday is for.
Have a blessed weekend with the people God has placed in your life. Spend a few minutes appreciating the place He has planted you. And remember — the work of the Spirit-led life is not finished today. It does not need to be.
God is faithful to provide the rest you need — when you keep on walking and talking with Him.— M.T.
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“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
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