Oh Lord, you who are our Eternal Rest,
we come to you this day with restless hearts and weary bodies.
We feel deeply our weakness, our finiteness, our burdens of suffering and sin.
Lord Jesus, we hear your invitation:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
And so, we come to you now.
Grant our hearts a deeper rest in you.
You have redeemed us, releasing us from the bondage of sin through your work on the cross.
You have invited us to live in that restful place of union with Jesus.
But we confess that too often we seek our rest in other places—material possessions, reputation, certainty, control, accomplishments, comfort—places of counterfeit rest that ultimately exhaust us from the inside out.
Make us mindful that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.
You offer your beloved children this heart rest each day.
And so, we come to you now.
Grant our bodies a deeper rest in you.
You are the One who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
You have created us finite by your good design.
But we confess that too often we seek to live beyond our limits, rising up early and going late to rest—and we exhaust ourselves from the outside in.
Make us mindful that we are creatures and you are the Creator.
You are the never sleeping Watchman of our lives who offers your beloved children sleep each day.
And so, we come to you now.
Sometimes, rest is elusive because of circumstances not of our own choice—a sick child, a cancer diagnosis, the grief of a wayward family member, care for an elderly parent, chronic pain or suffering, a conflicted relationship, or ____________________ [name your own situation].
Yet even then, you offer us the grace and mercy we need to live faithfully before you today.
And so, we come to you now.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
only in you do we find rest
both now and forever.
Amen.
