From Harassing Thoughts to Holy Presence: Learning to Rest in God

Blog by Gem Fadling

Enjoy this prayer I discovered in the compilation Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book:

“Let us not seek out of you what we can find only in you, oh Lord; peace and rest and joy and bliss, would abide only in your abiding joy. Lift up our souls above the weary round of harassing thoughts to your eternal presence. Lift up our souls to the pure, bright, serene, radiant atmosphere of your presence, that there we may breathe freely, there repose in your love, there be at rest from ourselves and from all things that weary us, and then return clothed in your peace to do and bear what shall please you.”[i]

This is a remarkable prayer for filling and abiding that leads to good action and fruit. I (Gem) do not want to seek things apart from God. I want to be lifted toward him to breathe, to be in repose, and to be free from that which wearies me. In that place I can be wrapped in peace and from there move into my relationships and responsibilities.

Let’s take this prayer one phrase at a time and ponder the goodness here.

“Let us not seek out of you what we can find only in you, oh Lord; peace and rest and joy and bliss, would abide only in your abiding joy.”

This prayer begins with a gentle turning. It names how easily we look elsewhere for what our souls most need. When we look outward for that which can only be found in God, it might work for a time, but it’s short-lived. Relationships and circumstances cannot bear up under that pressure. Pusey us to remember that peace, rest, and joy are not things to be seized but gifts to be received in God.

“Lift up our souls above the weary round of harassing thoughts to your eternal presence.”

Many of us live inside a constant swirl of thoughts. This prayer does not ask us to silence them by force. It thoughtfully asks God to lift us up. I want my soul to rise above the noise and into his eternal presence—in God’s unhurried kingdom. When we rest there, our spinning thoughts have a chance to lose their grasp. They no longer get to tell us who we are or what is most true.

“Lift up our souls to the pure, bright, serene, radiant atmosphere of your presence…”

Being with God is described here as entering an atmosphere, a different way of breathing and being. I don’t have to engage in overactive spirituality. God’s presence is a place of light, where my soul can remember its true home. If you feel heavy or constricted inside, this phrase gently assures you that kingdom ways are available to you.

“…that there we may breathe freely, there repose in your love, there be at rest from ourselves and from all things that weary us…”

Now we’re invited to breathe, repose, and rest. I don’t have to perform or hold it all together—that is when the weariness creeps in. It takes real effort to not let our cultural norms dictate our ability to enter into God’s rest. Resting in God is deep rest, the kind that touches what no amount of sleep can offer. Again, it is in God’s atmosphere that we find this kind of freedom.

“…and then return clothed in your peace to do and bear what shall please you.”

Here at the end, the prayer pivots us back toward our lives. We are not lifted into God’s presence to escape our responsibilities but to be refreshed for them. God’s gift of peace accompanies us as we look out into the good work he has given us to do. I am not alone and neither are you. This is overflow leadership at its best.

For Reflection: 

• What strikes you most about this prayer?
• Which phrase do you most need right now?
• You might take a stab at paraphrasing or summarizing this prayer for yourself.

(Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book, edited by Robyn Wrigley-Carr [SPCK 2018], p. 14, credited to E. B. Pusey)