“In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” — Isaiah 30:15

A few weeks ago at Bible study, we started talking about how busy life feels—not just “full,” but constantly “on”. Even when we’re technically resting, we’re not really resting.

I laughed (a little uncomfortably) and admitted that I can’t even sit down and watch TV without scrolling on my phone at the same time. It’s like my brain refuses to settle. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized… it’s not just me.

No matter what stage of life we’re in, we’re all moving. When the kids are little, it’s schedules and survival. When they’re grown, it’s grandkids, church, work, responsibilities. Even retirement doesn’t seem to slow things down anymore.

We go on vacation… and instead of resting, we fill every moment with “experiences.” We sit down at night… but we’re still scrolling, still consuming, still thinking. We go to bed… with noise, screens, distraction.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve forgotten how to just be.

And yet, tucked into Scripture is this quiet, almost countercultural invitation: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” — Isaiah 30:15

Returning. Rest. Quietness.

Those words feel foreign in a world that rewards hustle and constant connection. But God isn’t asking us to keep up—He’s inviting us to come back. To return. To rest. To find strength not in doing more, but in being still with Him.

There’s something about stillness that feels almost uncomfortable now. Silence feels loud. Slowing down feels unnatural. But maybe that discomfort is revealing something deeper… maybe we’ve filled our lives so completely that there’s no room left to simply sit in the presence of God.

Even Jesus modeled this for us: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” — Luke 5:16

He stepped away. He unplugged. He made space.

If the Son of God needed that kind of intentional quiet… how much more do we?

And here’s something I’ve been thinking about; as our world has grown louder, faster, and more constantly connected, we’re also seeing more anxiety, more feeling overwhelmed, more people searching for peace and struggling to find it.

I’m not saying all of that comes from busyness… but I can’t help but wonder if a life with no margin, no quiet, and no stillness leaves our hearts a little more fragile than they were meant to be.

God didn’t design us to run endlessly. He designed us to return… and to rest.

To sit with Him in the quiet, where confidence is rebuilt and strength is restored—not through striving, but through stillness.

A Gentle Challenge

This week, I want to try something—and I’d love for you to join me.

Not perfectly. Not rigidly. Just intentionally.

Let’s return…Let’s rest…Let’s create space for quietness again.

Maybe that looks like:

• Setting your phone down for one hour a day
• Sitting outside in the quiet—even if it feels strange at first
• Turning off the TV at night and reading instead
• Playing a board game or doing a puzzle with your family
• Creating a short “quiet time” in your home where everything else pauses

Not to add another thing to your to-do list… but to remove something.

To make room…To breathe…To be.

I have a feeling that in the quiet…we might rediscover something we didn’t even realize we were missing.

Your Heart Sister,
Mikki 💜

In a world that constantly pulls us forward, God invites us to return—and reminds us that true strength is found in rest and quietness with Him.

Lord, our lives are so full, and yet so often our hearts still feel restless. Teach us how to return to You in the quiet. Help us to lay aside the constant noise and distraction and make space to truly rest in Your presence. Give us the courage to slow down, to be still, and to trust that You will meet us there with strength and peace. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.