The Trust Factor
The Art of Rest: Making War on Busy
March 2, 2025

Reflection:

Last week we identified six tips for practical Sabbath worship. They were: Plan Your Worship, Gratitude Challenge, Tech Sabbath, Worship Playlist, Pause and Praise, and Reflect and Reset. Take a poll in the group to see how many people incorporated each aspect into their Sabbath. Which one was the most popular? Which was the least popular? Why do you think those were the trends? Which element do you want to begin putting a greater emphasis on in your Sabbath to further build your relationship with God?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Before moving to the below questions, read Psalm 23 aloud in several different translations. (For this exercise, we recommend choosing the NIV, CSB, and ESV translations and MSG paraphrase translation.)

  2. Provision: Resting in Enough (Psalm 23:1)  
    What does it mean to truly trust God as your provider instead of relying on your own productivity? How can you shift from a scarcity mindset to one of trust this week?

  3. Environment: Resting in Stillness (Psalm 23:2)
    Why do you think God sometimes has to "make" us lie down? What is one practical way you can slow down this week to match God’s pace?

  4. Guidance: Resting in Direction (Psalm 23:3)
    How does trusting the Shepherd’s guidance help you rest, even when you don’t know the full plan? Where in your life do you need to take a step of trust without knowing all the details?

  5. Presence: Resting in the Storm (Psalm 23:4)
    How does knowing God is with you change the way you face difficult seasons? What’s an example of a time when you had peace in the middle of a storm?

  6. Blessing: Resting in Overflow (Psalm 23:5)
    How does focusing on the table God prepares for you help you ignore the distractions of your enemies? What’s one way you can embrace God’s overflow instead of striving for more on your own?

  7. Confidence: Resting in the Chase (Psalm 23:6)
    How does knowing that God’s goodness is pursuing you change your outlook on the future? What’s one area where you need to stop chasing and start trusting?

Application This Week: Walking in the Trust Factor
  • Audit Your Trust: Where in your life are you still trying to gather extra manna? What would it look like to release control?
  • Identify your "green pasture": What rhythms bring you into God’s rest? Schedule them, don’t stumble into them.
  • Trust the Unfinished: Leave something undone this week as a faith statement that God holds your life together.

Notable quotes from sermon:
  • God holds onto me even when I’m holding nothing.
  • The Shepherd’s voice cuts through the chaos and calls you to rest and righteousness.
  • Rest isn’t the absence of storms - it’s the presence of the Shepherd in them. 
  • The Sabbath isn’t a pause in the hustle—it’s the day of the overflow. When you rest, God pours.