As I’m preparing a sermon on rest from Matthew 11:28-30, one helpful tool in knowing how to rest and then for entering into rest are good books. Below are a few helpful books on the need for rest, how to rest, and then a couple that provide rest for the soul through their focus on on resting in our good shepherd’s care.
For an article, here’s one I posted with Gospel-Centered Discipleship called, “Why Resting is More Important that Relaxing.“
Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung
“Just remember the most serious threats are spiritual. When we are crazy busy, we put our souls at risk. The challenge is not merely to make a few bad habits go away. The challenge is to not let our spiritual lives slip away.”
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
“Here’s my point: the solution to an overbusy life is not more time. It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.”
All Who Are Weary: Finding True Rest by Letting Go of the Burdens You Were Never Meant to Carry by Sarah Hauser
“You can feel at rest in your soul even while your body breaks down. You can know peace even in chaos.”
Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray and Refresh: Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands by Shona Murray
“Many of our problems happen not only because we do the wrong things, but also because we believe the wrong things. Behind many seemingly practical problems are theological problems.” Reset
“Every Christian wants to know God more; few Christians fight for the silence required to know him.” Refresh
Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund
“His rest is gift, not transaction. Whether you are actively working hard to crowbar your life into smoothness (‘labor’) or passively finding yourself weighed down by something outside your control (‘heavy laden’), Jesus Christ’s desire that you find rest, that you come in out of the storm, outstrips even your own.”
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