REST

 Yes. What you are describing is a **return to God—not simply asking Him to give you what you want, but surrendering your life so that His will, purpose and direction can be fulfilled in you.**

Here are Bible verses and a prayer you can pray.

## 1. “God, I want to return and genuinely walk with You.”

**Joel 2:12–13**

> “Return to me with all your heart…”

You do not have to pretend before God. You can come exactly as you are—with regret, confusion, exhaustion and a sincere desire to know Him again.

**James 4:8**

> “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

**Jeremiah 24:7**

> “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord…”

**Prayer:**

*Father, I return to You with all my heart. I do not want to merely know about You or call on You only when I am in need. I want to genuinely know You, walk with You and live in fellowship with You. Give me a heart that seeks You sincerely.*

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## 2. “Forgive me and receive me again.”

**1 John 1:9**

> “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us…”

**Psalm 51:10**

> “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

**Isaiah 1:18**

> “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…”

**Prayer:**

*Lord, forgive me for the times I knew You but chose my own way. Forgive me for walking ahead of You, leaning on my own understanding and making decisions without seeking Your will. Wash me, cleanse me and renew me. Remove from me anything that does not honour You.*

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## 3. “Lead me. I do not want to walk through life alone anymore.”

**Proverbs 3:5–6**

> “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

**Psalm 32:8**

> “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

**Isaiah 30:21**

> “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it…”

**Prayer:**

*Father, I surrender my steps to You. I do not want to go where You have not sent me, hold on to what You are asking me to release, or chase what was never meant for me. Teach me to hear Your voice. When I am confused, guide me. When I am afraid, lead me. When I want to run ahead, teach me to wait for You. Let me hear You say, “This is the way; walk in it.”*

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## 4. “I lay down my plans for Your purpose.”

**Matthew 6:33**

> “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…”

**Romans 12:1–2**

> “Present your bodies a living sacrifice… that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

**Psalm 37:5**

> “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”

**Prayer:**

*Lord, I lay my life before You. My dreams, desires, relationships, career, finances, fears and future—I surrender them to You. I do not want to use You simply to achieve my plans. I want my life to fulfil Your purpose. If there is anything I am holding onto that is outside Your will, give me the grace to release it.*

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## 5. “Teach me to rest in You.”

**Matthew 11:28–30**

> “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

**Exodus 33:14**

> “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”

**Psalm 23:1–3**

> “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want… He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.”

**Prayer:**

*Jesus, I am tired of carrying life by myself. I come to You with every burden I have carried in my heart. Give me rest—not just rest from work, but rest in my soul. Restore me. Lead me beside still waters. Teach me to trust You even when I cannot see the whole road ahead.*

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## 6. “Prepare a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies.”

**Psalm 23:5–6**

> “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies… Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

This verse is a reminder that **God does not need to remove every opposition before He blesses, sustains and establishes you.**

**Psalm 110:1** speaks of God dealing with enemies and opposition according to His authority.

**Prayer:**

*Father, I place every battle in Your hands. I release revenge, bitterness and the need to prove myself. You prepare the table; You vindicate; You establish. Let Your goodness and mercy follow me. May the life You build for me speak of Your faithfulness.*

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# A Prayer of Complete Surrender

**Heavenly Father,**

Today I come back to You.

I have known about You, I have called upon You, and there have been times when I believed in You, yet I realise that I have not always genuinely walked with You. Too often I have tried to carry my life alone, make my own decisions, follow my own understanding and then come to You when I was tired, hurt or in need.

Today, I surrender.

Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me for every sin, every wrong decision, every time I ignored Your voice, and every time I placed people, desires, relationships or my own plans above You. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.

Father, I do not want to know You only for what You can give me. **I want to know You.** I want to walk with You. I want Your presence to become more important to me than any destination.

Take my life and let Your purpose be fulfilled in me.

I surrender my past.

I surrender my present.

I surrender my future.

I surrender my relationships.

I surrender my desires.

I surrender my career and ambitions.

I surrender my fears and unanswered questions.

Teach me to trust You with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways, I acknowledge You. Direct my paths.

When I am confused, speak to me.

When I am about to make the wrong decision, stop me.

When I am afraid, strengthen me.

When I am impatient, teach me to wait.

When I am weak, carry me.

When I do not know what to do, let me hear Your voice saying, **“This is the way; walk in it.”**

Lord, I am tired of doing life alone.

Be my Shepherd. Lead me beside still waters. Restore my soul. Let Your presence go with me and give me rest. I do not want to walk one step ahead of You or one step behind You. **Guide me every step of the way.**

And Lord, prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. I release every person who has hurt me. I choose forgiveness. I surrender every battle to You. I will not spend my life fighting people when You have called me to fulfil purpose.

Let goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life.

May my life no longer be led by fear, loneliness, desperation or the need to control outcomes. Let it be led by Your Spirit.

**Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done.**

Use me for Your purpose. Correct me where I am wrong. Close doors that are not for me. Open the doors You have ordained. Remove what You did not plant and establish what comes from You.

From today, I choose to seek You—not just Your hand, but Your heart.

Walk with me, Father.

And when I cannot see the way, remind me that **You can see what I cannot see.**

In Jesus' name,

**Amen.**

### Your simple daily declaration

**“Lord, I surrender this day to You. I will not lean on my own understanding. Order my steps, guard my heart, lead me in Your will and let Your purpose—not merely my desires—be fulfilled in my life. I do not want to walk alone. Be my Shepherd, my Guide and my God. Amen.”**

Friday 21st August 2026 am

God presence will be with me and he will give me rest.

Parable of the prodigal son. Return and surrender to him