My Vacation Spot

Jeremiah 6:16
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”

There are several places where people like to go for vacation because of the ability to get away from the stress of society and rest. Some like the quietness of the mountains, while others enjoy the peace of the ocean. Some enjoy staying at home for a vacation, while others enjoy going to a place to participate in activities. Certainly, having a vacation spot is needed for most people.

However, the one vacation spot that most people miss is described in the verse above. God says, “…and ye shall find rest for your souls.” You will notice that God didn’t say that you will find rest for your body, but for your soul. If we were honest with ourselves, when someone takes a vacation, they almost always come back tired from the traveling and activities they participated in. You have probably heard people say, “I need a vacation after my vacation just to get some rest.” More than you needing a vacation to get away, you need a vacation spot to get rest for your soul. The word “rest” is talking about silencing the noise of life. The verse above gives the answer to having a place where you can go to find silence for your soul from the noise of life that I would like to point out.

First, rest is found in standing. God says to “stand in the ways…” When you stand, you stop listening to everyone else and just focus on standing. To stand means to be fixed on what you always do. The best way to silence the noise of life is to stop looking for new ways to do things, and just stand and do what you already know what you should be doing. There is rest in standing.

Second, rest is found in righteous living. God talks about the “good way” in the verse above. In other words, doing good or living right is always the way you find rest. Living in sin is sure to bring turmoil to your soul. Righteous living never brings regrets; thus, you find rest for your soul by doing right. If you would stop doing what you know is wrong, you will find there is rest in doing right.

Third, rest is found in God’s Word. Isaiah 28:11-12 talks about the rest found in God’s Word. There is nothing that silences the noise of life like spending time in God’s Word alone. You can find a daily rest for your soul by getting away from the noise of life just to spend time with God in His Word. God’s Word always calms the turbulence of life.

Fourth, rest is found in good habits. When God talks about “ways,” He is talking about the habits and routines that you do. One of the mistakes that many people make is they keep adding noise to their life because they have no habits or routines by which they live. If you will walk in the ways that you are supposed to walk, you will find there is a rest that can’t be explained to those who have froward ways.

Fifth, rest is found in serving God. In Matthew 28:19-20, God talks about finding rest in His yoke. In the verse above, God says to walk in His paths. This is talking about serving God. Your soul will find more rest in serving God than it ever will by sitting and doing nothing. Those who sit don’t find peace in life, but those who serve God find a peace and joy that passeth understanding. Stop sitting, and start serving God, and you will find the rest your soul desperately needs.

Author: Allen Domelle