15th - 21st September 2025
Some time ago I acquired a copy of a daily devotional book that I use when visiting my father and my aunt who are both living in nursing homes with dementia. I was looking for something short but meaningful, but I wasn’t really expecting the impact of the devotionals to be so helpful to me on a personal level, as well as to other people that I meet in addition to my father and aunt. It’s called, ‘The One Year Praying through the Bible’ by Cheri Fuller.
Over the past few weeks, there were a couple of Psalms in this devotional that have really stuck with me, and it was only in conversation with other people that I realised why.
God, being true to his word as he always is, knew who I was going to meet and what they needed to hear and so, as I read the daily devotions, I felt as if the Holy Spirit was saying, ‘Remember this one! It will be helpful in the coming days’, and so it proved.
I just love the fact that as God speaks to me from his word he is in the process of preparing me, moulding me, speaking to me, so that I can speak to others and share what he has revealed to me.
I often find in pastoral situations that people are in despair, they are struggling to handle the constant challenges of their circumstances. It may be deep painful grief, it may be the reality of a poor prognosis from the doctor, it may be the constant sense of waiting for progress in treatment or for results from scans. It may be disappointment in the workplace, our perception of others may be misguided causing unease and anger, we may be struggling with a breakdown of relationship within our family, marriage or friendship group. We may be overwhelmed by the constant negative news and stories of war and rumours of war and wonder what next.
When we feel the emotions that rise up when our circumstances are difficult we can often desire to have a ‘duvet’ day, pull the covers over our heads and wish for the day to end before it begins or, if able, we may just want to escape and disappear on a long walk or maybe even book a trip to just get away from the everyday pressure and responsibility we are feeling.
I don’t know your circumstances, but I know that is how I sometimes feel.
Just this week I was reading and the phrase ‘God offers us rest in the midst of our distress’ jumped off the page and really resonated with me. What a great way of expressing God’s care, love and concern for us. He doesn’t necessarily remove our distress but rather promises to be with us in it and even offers us rest. Now that’s the sort of rest I want and need.
In Psalm 55:2+6 we read these words, “Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles … Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!”
David’s cry in this Psalm is deeply relatable. When distress overwhelms us, our first impulse is often escape, isn’t it? Wishing we could simply fly away from problems, pain, disappointment, deadlines and the sense of relentless pressure to sort everything out.
Yet God’s word reminds us that true rest is not found in choosing to run away from our circumstances but rather in choosing to run toward God.
David longed for wings to flee, but God was calling him to lean into him, to turn towards him, to acknowledge him. How many of us feel that way in our lives?
Yet God offers us something better: His presence as our place of safety and rest!
Jesus echoed this invitation when he said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The rest he offers is not an escape from reality but the strength to live in our reality. It is not found in distance from our problems but in nearness to him in the midst of our problems. He offers us rest in the midst of our distress!
When we run to God instead of running from our troubles, we discover his arms are strong enough to carry us, his concern is deep enough to comfort us, and his love for us is wide enough to embrace every ache of our heart.
So today, when anxiety stirs that feeling in the pit of our stomach or burdens weigh heavy on our shoulders and we feel a lack of energy to keep going, resist the urge to hide under the ‘duvet’ or to run away. Instead, enter into God’s presence by recognising he is with you and the Holy Spirit indwells you and wants to help.
Remember, God is an ever-present help in times of trouble. That is why we do not fear but rather learn to rest in him and find that he is indeed our refuge and safe place, offering us rest in the midst of our distress.
Written by David Mairs
MONDAY
“Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you.”
Psalm 55:22
Heavenly Father, I bring you my burdens which I have carried for too long. You know me and see how these worries trouble me, how they weigh me down and drain my strength. Forgive me for the times I’ve tried to handle life in my own strength or sought to escape my circumstances rather than coming into your presence. Today, I choose to lay my cares at your feet, trusting your promise to take care of me. Teach me to run into your arms when I am weary. Let your peace guard my heart and mind. Be my refuge, my safe place and my strength. Thank you that you are never distant but always near, ready to comfort and steady me. Help me rest in your faithful love and remember that I am never alone. Amen.
TUESDAY
“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30
Dear Jesus, you invite me to come, weary and burdened, and find rest in you. I confess that I often try to push through my circumstances in my own strength or distract myself instead of seeking your presence. Please forgive me for being stubborn and arrogant, thinking that I can do things without you. Today, I come to you with all my weariness and ask that you lift the heaviness from my spirit and replace it with your gentle peace. Teach me to learn from you, to understand how to walk at your pace, to carry only what you give me, to live with a lightness that comes from trusting you and not try to carry everyone else’s burdens as well as my own. May I rest not only in moments of quiet but in the understanding that you are always with me. Thank you for being my Shepherd who leads me beside still waters and restores my soul. Help me to lean into you fully today, I pray in your name. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal”.
Isaiah 26:3–4
Heavenly Father, my mind often battles with various anxious thoughts, but you promise perfect peace to those who trust in you. Today, I want to acknowledge you in all that I do by setting my thoughts on you. Will you quiet the storms within me and anchor my heart in the promise of your faithfulness. Teach me to surrender my restlessness to you and to find steadiness in your unchanging character. When I am tempted to run away from my circumstances or to just pretend they do not exist, remind me that true safety is not in escape but in abiding close to you. Strengthen my trust in you and may I know that you are indeed my everlasting rock. Surround me now with your peace that surpasses my understanding and guard me from fear, uncertainty and doubt. Thank you for being the God who never leaves me, the refuge where I am always welcome. I love you, Father. Amen.
THURSDAY
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’
Psalm 91:1–2
Heavenly Father, you are my shelter and my dwelling place. I confess I sometimes search for rest in lesser things that cannot satisfy me or give me true rest. Help me to understand what it means to find true security and rest in your shadow. Teach me to remain close to you, to dwell with you in each moment of the day by acknowledging you in all that I do. Help me to remember that you are my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust. May your presence be the place where I find stillness in the midst of the busyness of each day. Thank you for inviting me to rest safely in you. Teach me how to experience this today, I pray. Amen.
FRIDAY
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6–7
Heavenly Father, you see the anxieties that press in on me. Your word tells me not to be anxious but to bring everything to you in prayer. So right now, I lay before you all that troubles my heart (take time to share your heart). Replace my worry with trust and my fear with faith. Thank you for the promise that your peace will guard my heart and mind in Christ. Surround me with that peace today, I pray, a peace that does not depend on circumstances but flows from your presence with me. Teach me to pray with thanksgiving, remembering your past faithfulness to me. I love you, Father. Amen.
SATURDAY
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
Heavenly Father, thank you for caring so deeply for me. When I am overwhelmed, remind me that I do not have to carry my burdens alone because you invite me to cast them all on you. Today, I hand over my worries, my fears and my unspoken concerns to you. Teach me not to hold onto them but to release them fully into your hands. Now help me to rest in the assurance that you see me, you know me, and you care for every detail of my life. Help me to walk with confidence, knowing I am held in the arms of a faithful and loving God. Amen.
SUNDAY
“The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”
Exodus 33:14
Heavenly Father, thank you for the promise of your presence. In a world filled with noise, uncertainty and circumstances that weigh heavily on my heart, you remind me that I do not walk alone and for that I am truly thankful. Like Moses, I sometimes fear the journey ahead, unsure if I have the strength, wisdom, or courage to keep going. Remind me of these words you spoke to Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Help me to lay down my anxieties, my striving and my restless thoughts at your feet. Let me remember that it is not in my own strength but rather it is in your nearness that I can know peace that surpasses understanding, rest that renews my weary spirit, and hope that strengthens my soul. I love you, Father. Amen.