The world is not the way it’s supposed to be, and so in some sense, it is impossible to rest. There’s nothing we can do. The Bible doesn’t call us to pretend. It calls us to wait. In Psalm 4, King David teaches us to wait.

Advent is about waiting for Jesus and refusing to settle for the empty rest on offer by the world. Waiting is a kind of rest, but it is a rest that laments. Listen as Dave unpacks Psalm 3, a psalm about how King David waited in a cave when his life was falling apart.

In order to be Christian, rest must be honest. In Advent, we are encouraged to find our hope in Jesus. Our rest is an expression of trust in God, but we remain sensitive to the tremendous need of the world for Christ to come again.

Psalm 1 is about finding ultimate rest. “Blessed is the man who…” But how we define blessing determines whether we find that ultimate rest or not. Listen as Dave preaches through Psalm 1.

True rest begins with faith in God and increases our faith in God. If we are resting well, we should reenter our world empowered for life in God and ready for work. Listen as Dave begins our turn back to work, preaching through Psalm 8.

Quality rest results in thankfulness. As we set aside our work and focus on what we have already been given by God, we are inspired to re-enter work with hope. If God has given so much, will he not give me what I need for today?

But it's easy to focus only on what we lack. Thankfulness, like rest, requires diligence. Psalm 103 teaches us how to pursue thankfulness, and to forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:2)