It was just the familiar words of encouragement from my workout video, but the phrases hung in the air with deeper meaning than the countless times I had heard them before.  Could the LORD be using my daily exercise routine to get my attention?

if you need to take a break…

if you need to rest, rest…

if it gets to be too much, just come down on your knees…

if it gets to be too much, come back to me, I’ll be waiting for you

. . .

I’ll be honest.  The ups and downs of life are usually too much for me to handle.  I can’t do any of this by myself.  I need help!  On a daily basis.

Could the LORD be calling my heart and soul to a place of rest, tucked away with Him – again?  My mind flashed back to a favorite song by Lyndsay McCaul, Come Rest:

when You say, come rest, should I be working so hard?

when You say, love rest, did You want my hands or my heart?

I remember You said it’s done

so I come

I come to the water’s edge and rest in Your promises

all You ever wanted was me here

there’s nothing more I can do to earn the love I need from You

all that’s left to want is to be near

so I come

. . .

Coming down on my knees is not a sign of weakness or defeat.  It is wisdom to name my shortcomings, my weary moments, and to humbly turn to the One I can always trust to come to my aid.

As a favorite music ministry group, the Ineloquent, so perfectly stated at the beginning of this new year, it is my “declaration of dependence!”  The thought was echoed just days later in a random podcast: “When you have no strength to stand, kneel.”

My heart has heard You say, “Come and talk with Me.” And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.” (Psalm 27:8)

The call to prayer continued on my run, as lyrics from Tauren Wells’ song When We Pray streamed through my phone:

people hurting, people broken

beaten down and feeling hopeless

wonder if its gonna always be this way . . .

but what if we could be

a people down on our knees

as one before the King

‘cause we believe?

all the world starts changing

when the church starts praying

strongholds start to break

at the sound of praising

nothings stays the same…

revival’s rising…

hope on the horizon…

a generation stepping out in faith

when we pray!

.   .   .

So, if I am not alone, sometimes longing for a break, craving deep soul rest, needing to sink deep into the Father’s open embrace — let’s point each other to the sweet spot of prayer!  Let’s lean into Him, declare our dependence on Him for each and every moment.

When (not if) it gets to be too much, let’s come down on our knees, return to His presence, and find REST.  I believe it will delight the LORD’s heart to see us look to Him for any help we need!