Encouragement When God and His Peace Feel Far

Take a deep breath and remember who God is—and who you are in Him. 

Our productivity-obsessed mindset keeps us running and trying to "earn" rest! rest!

But rest - real rest - isn't something we earn through hard work; it's a divine gift freely given.

As it says in Romans 8:11, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, bringing life and rest when we need it most - during our most vulnerable moments. 

Rest isn't about escaping the difficulties of life through short-term distractions. 

Rather, it's an invitation to experience soul-deep rest that reminds us we are loved and never forgotten. 

God's presence remains constant whether we're thriving or struggling, accomplishing or failing.

The cultural pressure to fix ourselves before approaching God creates unnecessary barriers to receiving His peace. 

Stop trying to prove your worth!

Instead, let His Spirit breathe resurrection power into every cell of your body and every thought that demands perfection. 

You can bring your frustrations, disappointments, and confusion to Jesus without fear—He understands your humanity because He lived it. 

Even if you once felt close to God but now sense distance, remember this truth: He hasn't moved, left you, or given up on you. He remains as close as a whisper, ready to welcome you home whenever you call His name.

For deeper exploration of who Jesus is and how He really feels about you, visit WPER.org, click "Resources" and then click "Knowing Jesus" to discover His truth directly from His word.

Transcript

Welcome to Five Minute Encouragement

Speaker 1 0:01

Well, hey, good, you're here. Five Minute Encouraging Podcast In the next five minutes just looking for ways to encourage you, to inspire you to lift your day, if it needs some lifting Right. I'm Eric. This is my friend Heather. If you need more encouragement after the five minutes, you can always listen again. You can always listen to WPER. That's Virginia's home for encouragement. If you're outside that area, wperorg or you can download the WPER app, okay so, before we start, take a deep breath and remember who God is Now.

Speaker 2 0:37

take a deep breath and remember who you are in Him.

Speaker 1 0:42

Romans 8.11 says he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you Now. That same spirit that raised Jesus from the grave lives in you right now, in this moment.

Speaker 2 0:58

Okay, not just when you're thriving or when you feel like you're doing all the right things or when you feel good, but in your weariness, in your waiting, in your weakness.

Speaker 1 1:08

A lot of time. I think we treat rest like it's some sort of reward for being really productive. But God's rest isn't about checking boxes and it's certainly not about earning rest or peace. No, rest is a gift.

Speaker 2 1:21

Actually, I think we should look at it like it's an invitation to rest in his presence, because the spirit of God isn't far away, because he dwells in you. He brings soul rest. That's the peace he brings.

Speaker 1 1:36

And we're not talking about a quick nap or, although that sounds good, sometimes some escape from reality. None of that. It's the kind of rest that reaches deep into your soul and lets you know that you're loved. You are not forgotten. God is here with you in this moment.

Bold In Asking, Open In Receiving

Speaker 2 1:52

So, contrary to what you may have been told or led to believe, you don't have to fix everything or fix anything before you come to Jesus. You don't have to fix anything before you rest. You don't have to prove something to anybody to rest.

Speaker 1 2:09

Maybe today's the day you just stop trying to carry it all or do it all and simply sit with God.

Speaker 2 2:15

Yeah, let his spirit breathe life into your heart, into your thoughts, into the thoughts that tell you you've got to work harder, work more, be perfecter for him or for someone else. Let his spirit breathe life into every cell in your body, because it's his resurrection power that lives in you in this moment.

Speaker 1 2:36

You're loved by the one who restores and revives. He's not going anywhere.

Speaker 2 2:40

No, and we don't have to be afraid to talk with God ever. Yeah, true, and we never have to be afraid to talk with God ever.

Speaker 1 2:45

Yeah, true, and we never have to be afraid of bringing our frustrations or our disappointments to him. He can handle our anger and our frustration and our confusion. Remember, he was human, fully human and fully God. So he knows what you're going through because he's been through it. His word even says be bold in asking him.

Speaker 2 3:05

So be bold, ask him to show you that he's with you. Ask him for the rest you need for your mind, your body, your spirit. But be open to hearing from him, because you need to be open to receiving the answer and receiving that rest.

Closing Encouragements

Speaker 1 3:22

Now, here's the thing Maybe you were close to Jesus once. Maybe you felt like you were close to Jesus once. Maybe you felt like you were close enough to feel his touch in your life, but now maybe not so much. Please know that he hasn't moved, he hasn't left you and he's certainly not given up on you.

Speaker 2 3:36

Oh my goodness? No, not at all. And the best news is he is never going to give up on you.

Speaker 1 3:42

Yeah he's as close as a whisper, and if all you can pray is simply the name of Jesus, he'll be right there by your side, ready to welcome you home.

Speaker 2 3:51

Thank you so much for spending a few minutes with us. If any of this spoke to your heart, share it with someone. You might need to hear that they're not alone either and that God hasn't given up on them either. And if you wanna know the truth of Jesus from his word, then head over to WPERorg, click on resources and then that first tab right there says knowing Jesus. You're going to find the truth from his word, not only about who he is, but how he feels about you.

Speaker 1 4:20

Hope this has encouraged you today. Thank you for listening to the Encouraging 5-Minute Podcast. If you need more encouragement now, encouraged you today. Thank you for listening to the Encouraging 5 Minute Podcast. If you need more encouragement now, you can always go to Virginia's Home for Encouragement WPER that's at WPERorg if you're out of that area, or you can even download the app Yep.

Speaker 2 4:37

You can find everything you need at WPERorg you.