Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 116:7-9, KJV

 

There is something so profound taught to us about the heart in this Scripture. In Psalm 116:7, the psalmist speaks gently to the soul, inviting it to return to rest. To return … as if we’ve temporarily strayed from home. Isn’t that beautiful? It suggests that our heart’s natural state is rest.

 

There is comfort in this perspective, because it reminds us that everything our hearts feel that is contrary to rest should be temporary. Anything that opposes rest – anxiety, fear, overwhelm – is contrary to what God intends for us. There is clear biblical grounding for this when we consider how often God invites us to rest in him. (Matthew 11:28; Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6-7)

 

David reminds us to call our hearts back to the state in which they are meant to be. What he states in Psalm 116:8 is like a gentle grounding technique. Counsellors use grounding techniques to help those experiencing panic or anxiety by naming – out loud – things that are real and present: what they can see, hear, or touch. This practice draws the mind back from spiralling too far into fear or imagined outcomes and gently anchors it again in reality.

 

David does something strikingly similar. He speaks to a heart that has wandered and calls it back – not by denying distress, but by naming truth. The Lord has dealt bountifully with him. The Lord has delivered his soul from death, his eyes from tears, and his feet from falling. In other words: God has been good. God has protected him before. God has been faithful. By rehearsing these truths, David anchors his heart in what is real – and finds rest there.

 

And so can we. Our hearts can return from anxiety to peace, not because circumstances have changed, but because God has not.

 

Peace isn’t something we earn; it is a gift, freely given by God. (John 14:27) And when we fix our attention on his goodness – past and present – our hearts naturally return to that place of rest.

 

He has always been good. He will always be good. That is where our hearts find their home.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your faithfulness, and for giving my heart a home where it can rest in you. Help me to return to that rest, even when the world tries to pull me away. Amen.