From Mee to You
“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.”
—Psalm 131 (NRSV)
Summer invites us to slow down. With vacation days, family gatherings, and quiet moments to catch up on reading or simply breathe easy, this season offers a sacred pause. But true rest—deep, soul-level rest—is more than just time off.
Psalm 131 reminds us that rest begins with trust. Like a weaned child resting safely in a mother’s arms, we are invited to rest in God’s presence—not striving, not worrying, but simply being.
Today, I want to share a prayer of rest written by Thomas à Kempis in 1472. May it help you focus on what’s most important: resting in the Lord, and on what might be hindering you from resting in Jesus:
“Grant me, O most sweet and loving Jesus, to rest in you above every creature,
above all health and beauty, above all glory and honor, above all power and dignity, above all joy
and exultation, above all fame and praise, above all sweetness and consolation,
above all hope and promise, above all desert and desire, above all gifts and presents which you are able to bestow or infuse, above all joy and gladness which the mind is capable of receiving and feeling;
finally, above angels and archangels, and above all the host of heaven, above all things visible and invisible,
and above all that falls short of yourself, O my God.”
Indeed, this is the season of rest— of vacationing, relaxing, family time, and catching up on what we’ve set aside. In the midst of it all, may you come to know true rest— not just of body, but of heart and soul. Here, I offer you a blessing:
May Christ quiet your mind.
May God cradle your spirit.
May the Holy Spirit breathe peace into your days.
And as you rest, may you be renewed
to love more deeply, to hope more fully, and to live more freely.
Live in peace,
and may your soul find its rest in God alone. Amen.
With peace and grace,
Pastor Mee
