Looking Above Episode 49 - Restlessness

04/12/23 • 31 min

We have made it to the final episode of the season on rest. In this episode, Karen and Brooklyn discuss restlessness and why we struggle to find our rest in God. As St. Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in You." The world contributes to our restlessness and spews empty promises of rest. But true rest is found in God and in living according to His ways. After listening, it would be highly valuable to sit down and talk with a friend or small group about these questions:

What does restlessness look like for you?
How do you most often behave when you're restless? - do you go(take a vacation, move, get a new job, change something), do (serve, volunteer, help someone, take a class, add activities) or buy(a new house, a new car, a new outift, food, acquire something)?
What lies do you believe about rest that keep you from resting? (Things will fall apart. You need to help others. You need to be worried. Everything depends on your work. Rest is lazy. Prove your worth. It won't be good unless you do it. Etc.)
Read Isaiah 28:12 and Jeremiah 6:16. God offers rest, but we are reluctant to obey. Why are we more likely to do what the world suggests than to do things God's way?
Has your restlessness ever led you back to God? How so?
"Jesus is inviting us to rest. But please understand what this rest is that He offers. It is not rest from life - but rest in life." - Warren Wiersbe

So many of the world's options are to rest from life (an escape), but God offers rest in the midst of life. Why is that the better option?

Discuss the story of Jesus and the disciples in the midst of the storm. How did their responses differ? Who are you more like - the restless disciples, or the resting Jesus?
Read Psalm 91:1 How do we live in the shelter of the Most High and develop the habit of resting in God? How do we train ourselves to turn to God and maintain a peace amidst a storm? What part does prayer play?
Are you an agent of rest or an agent of restlessness? Do you help others find rest? Or are you more prone to working for the enemy? Why is this?
What can you do this week to be an agent of rest? How can you help someone else find rest in God amidst their storm?

What does restlessness look like for you?
How do you most often behave when you're restless? - do you go(take a vacation, move, get a new job, change something), do (serve, volunteer, help someone, take a class, add activities) or buy(a new house, a new car, a new outift, food, acquire something)?
What lies do you believe about rest that keep you from resting? (Things will fall apart. You need to help others. You need to be worried. Everything depends on your work. Rest is lazy. Prove your worth. It won't be good unless you do it. Etc.)
Read Isaiah 28:12 and Jeremiah 6:16. God offers rest, but we are reluctant to obey. Why are we more likely to do what the world suggests than to do things God's way?
Has your restlessness ever led you back to God? How so?
"Jesus is inviting us to rest. But please understand what this rest is that He offers. It is not rest from life - but rest in life." - Warren Wiersbe

So many of the world's options are to rest from life (an escape), but God offers rest in the midst of life. Why is that the better option?

Discuss the story of Jesus and the disciples in the midst of the storm. How did their responses differ? Who are you more like - the restless disciples, or the resting Jesus?
Read Psalm 91:1 How do we live in the shelter of the Most High and develop the habit of resting in God? How do we train ourselves to turn to God and maintain a peace amidst a storm? What part does prayer play?
Are you an agent of rest or an agent of restlessness? Do you help others find rest? Or are you more prone to working for the enemy? Why is this?
What can you do this week to be an agent of rest? How can you help someone else find rest in God amidst their storm?

Previous Episode

Looking Above Episode 48 - Sensory Rest

This season we're talking about rest. In this episode, Karen and Brooklyn discuss sensory rest. Sensory rest involves allowing our senses to take a break from the constant stimulation that assaults your nervous system. I. After listening, it would be highly valuable to sit down and talk with a friend or small group about these questions:

Do you think you have a naturally high or low tolerance to sensory stimulation? Which of your senses is most likely to be overstimulated?
In what season of your life have you felt the most sensory overload?
Do you put on "comfy clothes" when you get home? What other examples can you think of of ways you may try to rest your senses without even being aware that it is what you're doing?
Respond to this quote: “We accept the health benefits of avoiding junk food, but we rarely consider the effects of the junky cluttered sensory impressions we receive from our choices of entertainment of living environment.” (Sacred Rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, p 89) What type of "junk food" have you been allowing to bombard your senses?
What evidence of sensory exhaustion can you see in your life right now? Think through each of your senses. Which senses are most in need of a rest?
How does sensory exhaustion affect you mentally? Physically? Relationally?
God gave us our senses so that we could interact with and receive information from the world around us. In what ways could we better care for our senses, so they are best able to serve us?
How might constant sensory stimulation lead to a spiritual dullness?
Read Isaiah 30:15. Reflect on this phrase, "In quietness and confidence is your strength." How does quietness produce spiritual strength? How might depriving our senses lead to greater strength?
Is it possible that we are intentionally (or unintentionally) crowding God out of our lives, by filling our environments with so much noise and sensory stimulation that we are no longer able to see and hear Him? What steps are you willing to take to lessen your sensory input?

Next Episode

Looking Above Episode 50 - Loss and Adversity

It’s a new season of Looking Above and we’re talking about resilience. Brooklyn and Karen introduce the new season in this episode and talk about some of their own experiences with loss and adversity. We will all face difficulties in life, but hopefully, as we go through the storms, we cling to Jesus and become more like Him.

If you’re discussing with a group, here are some questions to guide your discussion:

How would you define “resilience”
Do you think most people your age are resilient? Why/why not?
How has our society made us less resilient?
How is resilience different than persistence?
Why do we want an easy life when we know that adversity is what grows us up and makes us stronger?
How do you feel about John 16:33? Does it give you comfort or concern?
How have you faced/dealt with adversity in your life? Who do you turn to? What emotions do you feel?
Have you watched someone else go through adversity and cling to Jesus? What did you notice about them during that season? What can you learn from them?
What current situation are you facing in which you need to be more resilient? How can we pray for you?