Have you been pillow-shopping lately? If not, be forewarned: the number of options may cause nausea, dizziness, and high blood pressure.
There are pillows made with down, fiberfill, foam, latex, gel, and even buckwheat hulls. Manufacturers also provide different levels of cushioning, and now pillows come in different shapes, depending on your sleep position or special needs such as neck pain.
All they want is for you to get a good night’s sleep, right? Oh, and sell you lots of different pillows until you find the one best for you!
For proper rest though, we need a different kind of pillow—not made from feathers, foam, or buckwheat hulls; not made by Mike Lindell. The pillows I’m thinking of can easily be taken with us wherever we go and never need to be replaced. They’re free too!
These special pillows have been available a long time, but perhaps Charles Spurgeon, the famous preacher of Victorian England, was the first to make note of them. He suggested we “use the Lord’s words as our pillows,” and lie down upon them in restful faith [1].
We’d do well to understand:
God wants us to rest—physically (Psalm 127:2) and especially spiritually (Matthew 11:28-30).
In fact, the word rest, when referring to spiritual relaxation, is used over 200 times in scripture [2].
Spiritual rest brings tranquility of soul.
We can experience rest from anxiety and fear—even fear of death—as we place our confidence in God, our all-wise and powerful, ever-merciful and gracious, wholly-trustworthy and faithful Heavenly Father.
St. Augustine was right when he prayed:
The key to spiritual rest is acquainting ourselves thoroughly with God’s Word (Psalm 119:52).
It’s there we find the pillows of encouragement, hope, and peace we need in order to experience rest.
And what might some of those scriptural Word-pillows be? Here are three examples.
Pillow #1
My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.
–Exodus 33:14
Each moment we can choose to focus on God and his attributes, or on our problems and their difficulty. When we choose the former, He wields his attributes on our behalf.
- His wisdom offers perspective, and keeps discouragement in check.
- His power affords strength to endure.
- His attentive care provides blessing in the midst of challenge.
- His protection shields us from deep despair.
- His provision supplies all that we need [3].
Pillow #2
Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
— Jeremiah 6:16
The more we know of God and his attributes, the better-equipped we’ll be when adversity strikes.
Pillow #3
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
–Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
Such truths become all the more meaningful when we remember: the apostle Paul was in prison when he penned these words to the Philippians (1:14). From his own experience he wanted his readers to know that prayer and gratitude produce peace, as we depend upon our sovereign God whose ways are always right.[5]
* * * * * * * * * *
O God, help me rest in you and upon your Word-pillows of scripture.
I thank you for the pillows of promise, reminding me of your sovereign power to provide whatever I need.
I thank you for the pillows of assurance, affirming your glorious attributes, always at work for the best conclusion.
And I thank you for the pillows of encouragement, reminding me that with you all things are possible, with you I can stand firm through life’s trials, and with you I am NEVER without hope.
(Psalm 23:2-3; Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 145:15-16;
John 5:17; Job 42:2; Ephesians 6:10-17 and 1:18)
What Word-pillow from scripture gives rest to your soul ? Please share it in the comment section below!
[1] Faith’s Checkbook, January 3.
[2] Herbert Lockyer, Seasons of the Lord, 241.
[3] Proverbs 2:1-11; Isaiah 40:31: Jeremiah 17:7-8; Psalm 33:17-18; Philippians 4:19
[4] Psalm 18:30; Psalm 22:28; Deuteronomy 32:4
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From the Inside Out 
God’s pillows will give us the deepest, most refreshing rest we’ve ever experienced, Nancy. May we all seek that kind of rest with our whole hearts.
Blessings!
AMEN, Martha! You make a good point that we must SEEK God’s rest. He’s a Gentleman, not forcing his way upon us! But with that first step in his direction, he is there to take us under his wing, into his shelter and rest. What a good and gracious God he is!
Jeremiah 6:16!
Thank you, Nancy, for pointing us to our Lord and his wonderful promises with these wise and restful words!!
Yes, Debbie, praise God for his wisdom! How wonderful he knows EXACTLY what we need. I’m glad you found rest here too!
Thank you!
Pillows…Love that Nancy.
I do not think I really understood that it’s OK to rest until I semi-retired. Rest mentally, physically, socially and spiritually seem to spill over on each other as they are at least loosely tied together (different pillows on the same bed?).
I actually thought I had enough resting throughout life. Actually a proper book title of how I went through life, on reflection, should be “life From A Hang Glider”
I wasn’t good at resting in my younger years either, Gary. Your book,”Life from a Hang Glider” sounds intriguing, but definitely not restful! Also intriguing–your visual of the various types of rest we need as different pillows on the same bed, Somebody could write a blog post about that!
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 is a favorite! And I love the analogy you used! Great post!
Thank you, Bridget. You’re too young to remember a song with those verses as the lyrics. But every now and then I find them playing in my mind. Such a soothing reminder that sends us to the only place where true rest can occur: to our Lord Jesus.
Thank you Nancy. That is a wonderful idea. I will do that.
This was a much needed and wonderful message. I believe that the Lord wants us to have rest in Him. I seem to struggle with grabbing a pillow and putting everything aside, seeing only Jesus. Thank You.
Perhaps a pillow in your pocket would help–a favorite scripture of encouragement copied on a 3 x 5. It’s one way to bolster our spirits when worries and fear demand front-and-center attention. Just pull it out and reaffirm God’s truth in the matter! (‘Just realized that clause “bolster our spirits” is a pun, since “bolster” is also a type of pillow!!)
Thank you Nancy. That is a great idea. I will do that. God Bless.
Very cute presentation and much needed in a world filled with everything but rest.
Indeed, Pastor Pete, our world is filled with everything but rest! Our pace of life has only accelerated, it seems, as time-saving devices have increased. Makes no sense, does it. And as worrisome situations surround us in our cities, in our country, and around the world, peaceful rest seems impossible. Praise God for his enablement and reminders to experience peaceful rest in him!
Oh, this is so soothing … and true, friend. God’s Word as our pillow. Our deepest tranquility comes from Him, His Spirit filling us with peace. Pillow #3 is one of my favorite passages … for such a time as this!
Weekend blessings to you, Nancy.
I’m so glad you found this post to be soothing, Linda. “For such a time as this” I need lots of pillows! Praise God for his Word that offers an abundance of encouragement and affirmation. Philippians 4:6-7 is a wonderful example, showing us the way to peace through prayers and petition with thanksgiving.
Thank you, Nancy, I have been going back to look at your writings in March 2018 through 2019. I really appreciate the tremendous amount of your labor of love. So many thoughtful observations. I am enjoying your writings and it would be nice to put them in hard book and perhaps just use each on as a new chapter. I hope Colossians 1: 9-14 and Ephesians 1:15-21 along with Philippians 1:9-11 are ways we can pray for one another. Again, thank you Nancy for all the “pillows” that will give us true rest! Sam
I have thought about gathering up some of the posts for a book. Thank you for your encouragement, Sam. And thank you for the scripture recommendations as we all pray for one another. God’s Word IS our one offensive weapon–we do well to use it!
This is a beautiful analogy, Nancy. After watching the news with tears streaming down my face, I needed to read this!
Psalm 23 (NKJV)
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
With you, Linda, my heart aches as I watch the news and see the horror others are facing. Thank you for sharing Psalm 23–one of the loveliest pillows we can rest upon! I praise God his goodness and mercy follows us even in the valleys of the shadow of death, that with him we have no reason to fear. Soon we will dwell in the glorious house of the Lord forever! Evil will be destroyed; suffering will cease!
Amen!
Excellent word picture!
Thank you, Vicklea! Praise God for his inspiration through Charles Spurgeon!
You clearly struck a deep chord with people, Nancy, about our need not just to rest, but to rest in Him.
Thank you, Mitch. Indeed to rest in God is life-changing. So thankful for our writers’ group–and you–for helping me put the final touches on some of these posts!
You’re kind, considering my grogginess during the last session. ;>)
I was thinking of the big picture, Mitch. The input I’ve received over the years has been invaluable!
I really loved this presentation! I had never heard of the Spurgeon quote before; it is a wonderful analogy to think of resting one’s head on a pillow that is provided by the Lord to meet the need of every discomfort we experience. One of my pillows would have to be Lamentations 3:22-23: “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” With His mercies beginning afresh each morning…it’s like He fluffs our pillows for us every day!!!
“He fluffs our pillows for us every day!!” What a delightful image, Cheri! That passage from Lamentations does offer sweet comfort, doesn’t it? I’ve lived long enough to have experienced God’s great faithfulness countless times. “My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long–though I know not how to relate them all (Psalm 71:15)!
Amen great post and analogy Nancy!!
Pillow scriptures and rest in the Lord…can’t think of a better combination for a slumber party!!!
Love this truth too: “prayer and gratitude produce peace”
Slumber party–I LOVE it, Alicia! Sometimes when sleep won’t come, I’ll start reciting scripture and later upon waking realize I never finished! His pillows DO provide comfort so we can rest.
Yup I can definitely relate or I’ll be praying and fall asleep that way.
What a great analogy! I have a pillow which is almost air—I have used it for decades and never found another to compare. A lot like God’s Word!
Blessings!
AMEN, Loralu! NOTHING compares to God’s Word for wisdom and encouragement! Thank you so much for stopping by!
Nancy,
The word of God is meant to give comfort for sure. A place to rest our weary heads.
In Christ,
Gary On Thu, Mar 10, 2022 at 1:00 PM From the Inside Out wrote:
I’m SO thankful for my Bible and its wisdom and guidance, examples to follow (and NOT follow!), its encouragement and hope. It is indeed a place to rest our weary heads!
To your question, Nancy, I go with Psalm 23 (as does Linda Lee Adams from her comment above). The passage never fails to bring me peace just by reciting the words. “He makes me to lie down in green pastures…”. I never looked closely enough at that line to fully understand it, but I believe it’s saying we are meant to rest by (God’s) design.
Yes, Psalm 23 offers delightful affirmations, so we can rest in the care of our Shepherd, in the bounty of his provision, in the comfort of his presence, and more. No wonder it’s a favorite among God’s people!