Let God Settle Your Restless Heart

 

Do you know that feeling of a restless heart?

Sometimes we experience it even though life isn’t  too bad. Things are good, but we just can’t shake the feeling that something is missing or needs to be fixed. We’ve lost our joy. We’re not happy. The things that used to be fulfilling are not.

Other times our circumstances are terrible, and we know exactly why we can’t find peace–or at least we think that’s the culprit. We know what has us stirred up.

What I Do When I’m Restless

Through the years, I’ve learned something about restlessness. When I’m fighting it, I need to seek God.

I need to go to him with my unsettled heart and ask Him for the answer. It’s really tempting to call friends and ask their advice, but only God knows every angle of my life and his plans for it. Only the LORD knows the root of my restless feelings.

So I pray.

I get on my knees and confess my discontentment.

There’s always a root to the restlessness. Confession opens the door to His healing, freedom, and purpose.

I sit on my couch with my Bible and journal open, and I let God speak to me through his Word. If I read a scripture that is speaking to my heart, I underline it, date it, and then write it in my journal.

And I pray some more.

And worship intentionally. I turn on our local Christian radio station, and sing when nobody is listening. :)

 

My Restless Summer

This summer proved a restless one for me. I applied for jobs, prayed, cried, and watched the door shut twice. That was hard. It’s why I wrote a post on rejection. I lived it. But something inside wouldn’t settle. The restlessness seemed to be getting stronger.

And then it happened.

A job I wasn’t looking for fell into my lap. A perfect one. Without going into too many boring details, can I just say, “Trust God, my friends.”

If you are restless, trust God is doing something. It won’t be what you think. 

We automatically think restlessness is a sign that we need a change, but it may be more than that. Maybe it’s a wake up call to our blessings. This is great advice from Kevin Kleitches over on the Huffington Post. 

Learn to love what you do.

As much value as society places in doing what you love, there’s also merit in learning to love what you do.

What’s the difference?

Doing what you love means pursuing what you really care about. It’s being devoted to your craft because it truly excites you.

On the other hand, loving what you do means appreciating your current circumstances. You may not be thrilled with your job, but you find ways to stay engaged and make the most of it.

Sure, it’s easier said than done. But if you have to be at work every day, you might as well find ways to use your creativity and keep yourself stimulated.

Kevin Kleitches
Entrepreneur and lifestyle blogger, PeoplePassionate.com

Stay-at-Home Moms

This is what I did during those hard years when my kids were home ALL DAY with me. God closed all the doors for me to get a job, so there I was with three beautiful little blessings who required my attention 24/7. So, I prayed! I asked God to help me love that season, love my children more, love our house, love my husband more . . . love wherever our next PCS took us. During those restless years I learned about thankfulness and worship.

Be Thankful

Worship and thankfulness will carry you through any restless season. These two actions don’t always come easy. Sometimes we have to be intentional with our thanks and praise.

Read Your Bible

Scripture is one way God speaks to us, and it’s also one of the things I suggest if you’re struggling with an unsettled spirit. Here’s a Bible reading plan for those restless days.

Sneak Peek of Scriptures and Prompts on Printable

Philippians 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

• When we are restless, we often get anxious and impatient. This verse tells us what to do instead of worrying. Write down a prayer thanking God for your blessings and then write down what you hope to come out of this restlessness. What do you really want? It’s okay to ask. God will give you the best answer and His peace.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.

• We often become fearful when we’re restless. We feel abandoned, discouraged, or stuck, and that causes the feeling of restlessness. Ask the Lord to show you if you are afraid of something. Write it down. And memorize this verse. Remember, He is with you even in those fearful, restless moments.

Download the reading plan printable. :) 

1 Timothy 6:6-7

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

• Ask the Lord to help you be happy where you are until he moves you on. Pray to love the people around you and the place. Find ten things to be thankful for.

2 Cor. 12:9-10

“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” …Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

• Pray for grace. This has been one of my favorite prayers for  a long time. This prayer is freeing and empowering. We need His grace to do the things we struggle with.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

• Sometimes I’m restless because I feel I’m not doing something well, or I feel I’ve failed. When this happens I ask God to take my failure and use it for good.

Psalm 34:10b

Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

• If you are restless, seek God. Seek His presence and His answers. I promise, you will be blessed as you search for Him and desire Him more than anything.

Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

• Is your restlessness caused by wanting what someone else has? Has comparison taken away your contentment? These are the customs of this world. Transform your mind with thankfulness for what you have. Start a thankfulness jar. Write down your blessings on strips of paper and put them in the jar. Some days you’ll add to the jar, and others you may need to draw from it to remember.

I pray that one if not many of these scriptures spoke to you in the depths of your spirit, that place where only God speaks, way down deep. And those words let you know that He’s got you, and He is faithful to direct you to peace and joy right where you are or where He’s calling you to go.

Printable available Here. 

Last Week of Morning Broadcast

Remember that job I mentioned? While I’m excited about it, I’m bummed that this will be my last week of 8:20 AM ET Facebook Live  broadcasts. I’m prayerfully considering when the broadcasts will resume, daily or just once a week, and the time of the day, afternoon or evening. If you have some thoughts or preferences, leave a comment. And meet with us this week! Just follow me on Facebook and mark that you want to receive my notifications. Hope you can join our fun group!

 

 

Let’s Pray

I know many are struggling with restlessness because my posts about this topic are found everyday by someone searching for help on the internet. I don’t have all the answers, and God will do what He’s going to do in His own time, but I have experienced His faithfulness through all the years of restless seasons in my own life. This is a topic close to my heart, so I would love to pray for you.

Hold my hands.

“Dear God, before anything, we worship you. Thank you for the blessings you’ve given each of us. Open our eyes to them if our restlessness has blinded us to these good things. Help us be thankful. Help us love the people in our lives and give us the grace we need to take one day at a time seeking you in our unsettledness. Lord, please strengthen our faith to trust you, wait on you, and watch expectantly for the good things you are doing. We love you, Jesus. Amen.

Digging Deep,

Andy

 

PS. If this post was encouraging, and you don’t want to miss any Bite of Bread reading plans and posts, subscribe today! You’ll receive a 22-Day Devotion on Psalm 119 called Finding the Beauty {Full} in God’s Word.Just click here to dig deep to live fully.