October 13, 2026

Praying For Rest On All Sides

Autumn has begun in a whirlwind of activity. I pray as we serve the Lord daily for Him  to give me rest on all sides, in every aspect of my life. Tall order? I agree. I pray that huge prayer for you as well.

Is rest on all sides even a remote possibility in the midst of so much activity? I see so much scriptural backing to it. Here are four examples from:

  1. Joshua 21:44
  2. 2 Samuel 7:1
  3. 1 Kings 5:4
  4. 2 Chronicles 20:30

In all four examples, it seems a battle had just been fought with enemies and won.

In the book of Joshua, after the Lord led Joshua and the Israelites into the land of Canaan, there was so much more land to possess. The disagreement had been over land. Land was then given to all twelve tribes of Israel.

“Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” –Joshua 21:43-45.

In 2 Samuel, the Lord made a covenant with David.

“Now when the king live in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells ‘in a tent.’ And Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” –2 Samuel 7:1

Merely four chapters later, David rested perhaps TOO much and committed adultery with Bathsheba. In 2 Samuel 11, “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful…”

David was supposed to be out in battle, “the time when kings go out to battle.” He sinned with so much idle time. Sometimes too much rest is a detriment and possibly a downfall to us. David repented, though. David was a man after God’s own heart.

When King David passed away, he had passed along instructions and wisdom to Solomon for building the temple. David had been in a battle with Saul and his enemies, and God protected him. Now Solomon has rest.

“Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram always loved David. And Solomon sent word to Hiram, ‘You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune…” –1 Kings 5:4

In the last example, In the lineage of kings of Judah and Israel, many were selfish and were not God-honoring. King Jehoshaphat was a refreshing, Spirit-filled King. He reigned in Judah and strengthened himself against Israel.

During battle, King Jehoshaphat prayed one of my favorite prayers in the Bible, one I say almost daily as a breath prayer.

“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” –2 Chronicles 20:12

Then the Lord delivered a victory in Jerusalem.

“They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.” –2 Chronicles 20:28-30

Now we have seen four different vignettes of rest on all sides, four different battles. What lessons can we learn from these five examples as we pray for rest on all sides, all aspects of our life?

  1. Pray for God’s favor and protection
  2. Be teachable and not stubborn– Surrender your will
  3. Be humble, not prideful
  4. Be nimble to change plans as the Holy Spirit leads
  5. Pray for your enemies but be prepared for battle

Friend, these five steps are not easy. You are a leader. you can do it, friend.

Each takes surrender and guidance by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Rest on all sides is possible. May it be so in each of us. May it be so.

May we nestle, not wrestle with God.

Respond:

  1. Which of these five steps can you work on?
  2. Nestle, don’t wrestle with God.
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February 4, 2020

HIS-Story in the Making: A Teaching from Ezekiel 20 in the First 5 Mobile App

Hi Friend,

I pray your 2020 is off to an incredible start.  Today I have a fun surprise. I’m blessed to do today’s Ezekiel 20 teaching in the Proverbs 31 Ministries First 5 Mobile App. Please check it out and be encouraged. God promises to restore and strengthen each one of us when we rely on Him.

Here is the easy hyperlink or you can read it below: https://app.first5.org/first5

Ezekiel 20:44 (ESV) “And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”

I love history. I enjoy reading books about history, and when traveling, I make it a point to stop and read historical placards to learn about the city I’m visiting. History is vital for us to learn the roots of our stories, but the most important history, though, is God’s story — His-story — written in His Word. He writes all of history and is the Author of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

Israel’s history, like a historical placard, lures us to these spiritual roots, as outlined uniquely in Ezekiel 20. God weaves His-story throughout this passage, reminding the Israelites of their rebellious past and His future plans of restoration.

Israel’s Past Rebellion The historical timestamp in the first verse highlights the year of King Jehoiachin of Judah’s exile in 591 B. C. Ezekiel, who is about 25 years old, prophesies during a time of great confusion after the Babylonians’ exile of the young king. Then and now, prophets emerge in times of crisis to bring God’s message to His people.

Some of the elders of Israel sat before the prophet Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord three times, and God denies their requests. (Ezekiel 20:3) Throughout the passage, the elders of Israel are reminded of their nation’s rampant idolatry in three geographical places:

1. In Egypt (Ezekiel 20: 1-9) The Lord had promised to take the two million-plus Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land, “the most glorious of all lands” (Ezekiel 20:6).

2. In the wilderness (Ezekiel 20:10-26) The 40-year journey to the epic Promised Land should have taken 11 days (Deuteronomy 1:2) but was prolonged because of their rebellion.

3. In Canaan, the Promised Land (Ezekiel 20:27-32) Even after entering the Promised Land, the Israelites continued to rebel, (Ezekiel 20:28-31) just as we do today. Yet we see that while God initially rejected Israel’s inquiries, He promised future restoration.

Israel’s Future Restoration Our redeeming Lord promises to restore us as He did for Israel. After Israel’s history of continual sin, idolatry and rebellion, a hopeful pivot begins in Ezekiel 20:33.

The Lord declares with “a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” that He will pour out His wrath, be King over the Israelites and gather them from countries where they are scattered (Ezekiel 20:33-34).

As harsh as this language may seem, Israel is God’s chosen nation, whom He loves, protects and disciplines. (Deuteronomy 14:2; 1 Kings 10:9; Psalm 47:4; 135:4; Romans 11:1-2)

The key verse of today’s teaching declares from our God both His sovereignty and grace in the way He “deals” with us for His name’s sake, not according to our sin or our corrupt deeds. To emphasize God’s sovereignty, eight times within Ezekiel 20 the phrase“I am the LORD” or “I am the LORD your God” is repeated. God loves us; He wants the Israelites and us to know we are His.

As the Lord our God, He promises to restore and strengthen us. Even Ezekiel’s name appropriately means in Hebrew, “God will strengthen.” His name is perfect for a prophet proclaiming a message of uncompromising judgment and later a strong restoration for God’s sake, not Israel’s or ours.

Failure and judgment are not the end of Israel’s story or our story. Our redeeming Lord promises to restore us as He did Israel’s sinful history. May we receive this redemptive gift of Jesus today and let God write His-story in our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for writing Your story and my life story so graciously. I confess idolatry and rebellion. You are the Great Redeemer. Thank You for loving me, even when I’m lost in rebellious sin like the Israelites. You are sovereign, merciful and mighty. Thank You for making Your story for Your glory and our joy through Your Son Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.

More Moments:

Generation after generation, the Israelites had wallowed in the filth of idolatry and rebellion. When the elders inquired of God, He denied them because they still had idols in their lives and hearts. Read More

My Moment:

How have you experienced God’s mercy recently toward your own rebellion or idolatry? Write your redemptive story in the comments below.