Get Some Rest

Published: Nov. 5, 2019, midnight

b'\\u201cThere will be a test over the material later this week,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Ashley heard the professor say as her class ended. \\u201cWill I even have time to study for that test?\\u201d she wondered. \\nShe was taking college classes while in high school and working part-time to pay for them. Just as she felt the stress close in on her, her friend Ryan caught up with her in the hallway. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Ashley, wait up. I\\u2019ll walk you to your next class,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d he offered.\\nAshley tried not to show how stressed she was, but Ryan figured it out. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You\\u2019re working all week. You don\\u2019t think you\\u2019ll have time to study for this test, do you?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\nWhen Ashley nodded, Ryan asked, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153How about we get coffee after school and quiz each other on the material?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Count me in,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d said Ashley.\\nLater that afternoon, Ryan quizzed Ashley at the coffee shop. But her eyes kept closing.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153History records dictate that\\u2026Ashley is asleep from exhaustion,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Ryan said, laughing lightly as he touched her arm to wake her up.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Huh\\u2026What? Did I seriously fall asleep? Sorry about that.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nRyan finally asked her what was wrong. Ashley admitted she was having trouble keeping up with the demands of classes and said she had no one to lean on. \\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You\\u2019ve got me, Ash. I\\u2019m always here for you. If you really need rest, go to sleep early tonight. God can give you rest too, like it says in Matthew 11:28.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nAs Ashley studied later that night, Ryan\\u2019s kind words and the verse he had mentioned kept coming back to her: \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Come to me, all of you who are weary\\u2026and I will give you rest.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nShe let the words sink in, praying, \\u201cLord, if I\\u2019m going to pass this test, I need rest. Please fill me with Your peace.\\u201d As she finished praying, she felt calmer. She closed her books and finally got some sleep.\\n\\u2022 Sometimes it feels like everything in the world depends on us. How does it bring you peace knowing that your life depends on Jesus, not you? \\u2022 God created us to need rest, which is why He gave us the Sabbath. What are some ways you can practice intentional rest in your own life? \\u2022 Who can you talk to when you feel overwhelmed and exhausted? \\nThen Jesus said, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Matthew 11:28 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nGenesis 2:2; 1 Kings 19:1-8'