“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.”

—Psalm 23:1–3

Beloved, we need to take time to just be alone with God like David did. The Lord told us through Isaiah, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isa. 30:15). At times we need to break away from all the busyness of life and simply go into nature. God uses those times to impart Himself to us and restore our souls.

I know it’s not always easy to get away from all the things that we’re used to doing. We’re in such a habit of being busy that it’s hard to stop that cycle, sit before the Lord, and receive from Him. But there’s such a blessing in taking the time to just be quiet and rest in the Lord. So I want to encourage you today to make time in your life to simply sit with the Lord in nature. Look for a quiet place where you can just sit among the trees and listen to the birds. If you live in a cold climate, perhaps you can just look out at the snow blanketing the ground. If you live near the beach, perhaps you can sit and listen to the waves crashing against the shore or take walks on a path through the woods. Just being in the stillness of God’s creation reprograms and recalibrates our system to function in such a way that we can receive more of God’s presence into our souls.

There have been times in my life when I have felt so tired spiritually that I’d go out into nature and just lie on the ground and ask the Father to restore my soul. Maybe you can relate. Perhaps you feel like I do at times— exhausted. And it’s not even just a physical exhaustion; it’s a spiritual and emotional exhaustion. But the Lord can restore your soul. If you can find a way to be outside, sit alone with God, and pray to Him from your heart, He will impart renewal and healing by His Spirit. It may not happen all at once, but He is faithful. As you reach out to Him, He will draw near to you and breathe restoration into your soul.

Father God, restore my soul. You know how exhausted I feel in my spirit sometimes. Natural sleep isn’t even enough. I need You to restore my soul. So, Abba, as I bask in Your beautiful creation, I ask You to impart Your essence and nature to me, in the name of Yeshua.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Divine Truth (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.