Part 1

Undoing the Way We See Things Now

Lesson 109

I Rest in God.

We ask for rest today, and quietness unshaken by the world’s appearances. We ask for peace and stillness, in the midst of all the turmoil born of clashing dreams. We ask for safety and for happiness, although we seem to look on danger and on sorrow. And we have the thought that will answer our asking with what we request.

2. I rest in God. This thought will bring to you the rest and quiet, peace and stillness, and safety and the happiness you seek. “I rest in God.” This thought has power to wake the sleeping truth in you, whose vision sees beyond appearances to that same truth in everyone and everything there is. Here is the end of suffering for all the world, and everyone who ever came and yet will come to linger for a while. Here is the thought in which the Son of God is born again, to recognize himself.¹⁷¹

3. “I rest in God.” Completely undismayed this thought will carry you through storms and strife, past misery and pain, past loss and death, and onward to the certainty of God. There is no suffering it cannot heal. There is no problem which it cannot solve. And no appearance but will turn to truth before the eyes of you who rest in God.

4. This is the day of peace. You rest in God, and while the world is torn by winds of hate, your rest remans completely undisturbed. Yours is the rest of truth. Appearances cannot intrude on you. You call to all to join you in your rest, and they will hear and come to you because you rest in God. They will not hear another voice but yours, because you gave your voice to God, and now you rest in Him and let Him speak through you.

5. In Him you have no cares and no concerns, no burdens, no anxiety, no pain, no fear of future, and no past regrets. In timelessness you rest, while time goes by without its touch upon you, for your rest can never change in any way at all.

6. You rest today. And as you close your eyes, sink into stillness. Let these periods of rest and respite reassure your mind that all its frantic fantasies were but the dreams of fever that has passed away. Let it be still and thankfully accept its healing. No more fearful dreams will come, now that you rest in God. Take time today to slip away from dreams and into peace.

7. Each hour that you take rest today, a tired mind is suddenly made glad, a bird with broken wings begins to sing, a stream long dry begins to flow again. The world is born again each time you rest and hourly remember that you came to bring the peace of God into the world, that it might take its rest along with you.

8. With each five minutes that you rest today the world is nearer waking. And the time when rest will be the only thing there is comes closer to all worn and tired minds, too weary now to go their way alone. And they will hear the bird begin to sing and see the stream begin to flow again, with hope reborn and energy restored to walk with lightened steps along the road that suddenly seems easy as they go.¹⁷²

9. You rest within the peace of God today, and call upon your brothers from your rest to draw them to their rest along with you. You will be faithful to your trust today, forgetting no one, bringing everyone into the bondless circle of your peace, the holy sanctuary where you rest. Open the temple doors and let them come from far across the world, and near as well—your distant brothers and your closest friends; bid them all enter here and rest with you.

10. You rest today within the peace of God, quiet and unafraid. Each brother comes to take his rest, and offer it to you. We rest together here, for thus our rest is made complete, and what we give today we have received already. Time is not the guardian of what we give today. We give to those unborn and those passed by, to every thought of God, and to the Mind in which these thoughts were born and where they rest. And we remind them of their resting place each time we tell ourselves.

I rest in God.^[1]

[1.] A Course in Miracles Complete & Annotated Edition.

Footnote 171. John 3:3 (KJV): “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Footnote 172. The ones who are experiencing “hope reborn and energy restored” and can now “walk with lightened footsteps” are the formerly “worn and tired minds” who had been “too weary now to go their way alone.” The reason their hope is now reborn is that they have heard the bird with broken wings begin to sing and seen the stream long dry begin to flow again. You are directly responsible for their renewal, because the bird and stream were restored by your hourly five minutes of resting in God.

Personal Notes:

“I rest in God.” This thought will bring rest and quiet, peace and stillness and the safety and the happiness I seek. I rest in God. This thought has the power to wake the sleeping truth, for vision that sees beyond appearances. Here is the end of suffering for all the world. I rest in God. Completely undismayed for this thought will carry us through storms and strife, past misery and pain, past loss and death and onward to the certainty of God. This is the day of peace. I rest in God and while the world is torn by winds of hate, my rest remains completely undisturbed. Mine is the rest of truth. Appearances cannot intrude on me. I call to all to join me in my rest, and they will come because my rest is in God. Each hourly five-miniutes that I take my rest today, a tired mind is suddenly made glad, a bird with broken wings begins to sing, a stream long dry begins to flow again. The world is born again each time we rest and hourly remember that we came to bring the peace of God to the world, that it might take its rest along with us. With each five minutes of our rest in God the world is nearer to waking. We rest together here, for thus our rest is made complete, and what we give today we have received already. I pray for all my brothers, sisters, and myself for continued guidance, wisdom, discernment, protection, and illumination of purpose in The Way, The Truth, The Life in Christ Jesus, Amen. Thank you for sharing with me. Walk in Love my friend!

God is Love

Love is God

I choose Love