What Does “Refreshed” Mean?

The Strong’s definition for refresh (anapao) in most New Testament verses is

• to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength
• to give rest, refresh, to give one’s self rest, take rest
• to keep quiet, of calm and patient expectation

Which seems to indicate that to be refreshed, we should

1. Stop moving
2. Rest
3. Be quiet
4. Calmly and patiently expect God to work
5. Have the goal of recovering strength for further labor

Rest = Not Working? Or Working With Him?

But maybe rest doesn’t always mean what we think it does.

Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” In the same breath, he said, “Take my yoke upon you” (Mt. 11:28–30). How is that possible? How can we both rest and be in a yoke, a device designed for strenuous, grueling labor?

I believe the answer lies in a comparison. When an ox is pulling by himself it may be very hard for him. But when two oxen are yoked together, even if they’re pulling the same heavy load, it will seem much lighter for each of them because they’re pulling together.

When we work alone we bear all the strain of being “heavy laden,” loaded down, carrying every burden and care ourselves. But when we work together with Jesus, that yoke takes most of the strain off of us and puts it on the shoulders of the One who carries the universe. There is still mental, physical, and emotional labor, but we have cast all our care on Him. We find His yoke restful to our souls.

When we come to Him and pick up the yoke with Him on the other side, we are also enrolling as His students. Learning from Him who is meek and lowly, we have a guaranteed result: finding “rest unto [our] souls.” Why? Not because we get to stop working, but because we are laborers together with Him (I Cor. 3:9). And His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

So the breakfast you cooked this morning, the dishes you washed and the homeschool lessons you taught, the piles of laundry that are waiting to be washed—it’s not your work alone. “We dwell with the King for His work” says one of my favorite hymns, based on I Chr. 4:23. How different the laundry and lessons would be if I remembered that I was working on assignment with and for Him!

A Recipe for Refreshment

So back to my journal entry from that day I was really lacking in refreshment …

Praise the Lord, there have been other times when I had the strength to respond patiently, the wisdom to realize that responding in kind wouldn’t help anything, and the grace to win over an erring child with a smile and some firm, loving guidance. What made the difference? During those times, I was abiding in Christ, and He was living through me His patience, wisdom, and grace.

Abiding in Christ and taking up His yoke shouldn’t depend on any outward circumstances—having the calm and quiet we crave, or pleasant people and experiences to keep us encouraged. But God knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. He created us with natural desires and physical senses and emotional needs that scream out to us when ignored, or make it easier to do right when they are rightly satisfied.

Whenever possible, we are wise to use whatever opportunities God gives us to rest our souls and be refreshed. Those opportunities might not be as frequent and abundant as we’d like, but they are often there if we just open our eyes (and turn them away from screens and other distractions).

Try making a list of what refreshes you, and the next time your soul feels weary and worn, pull out whatever ingredients you have at hand and make a refreshing smoothie of rest. In other words, stop and look—really look—at the truth, goodness, and beauty God has placed around you. Consciously enjoy it and thank Him for it. Be still and know that He is God.

For example, here are a few ingredients that refresh me:

• A moment (or 20) of quiet
• Time in the Word and prayer
• Sunshine
• Green plants of any kind
• A creative pursuit or handcraft
• A healthy snack and a big glass of water or juice

Going back to Strong’s definition for “refresh,” stopping to enjoy these things can help us “to recover and collect … strength;” “to give one’s self rest,” and “to keep quiet,” looking to God in calm and patient expectation.

Refreshed by Others

But there’s another secret of refreshment that isn’t evident in the definition alone. If we look at the context of every New Testament verse in which anapao is used to mean “refresh,” it’s actually never someone refreshing themselves; it’s always used to refer to one Christian refreshing another.

• Acts 27:3 Paul was allowed to go to his friends to refresh himself.
• I Cor. 16:18 Paul’s three friends visited and refreshed his spirit.
• II Cor. 7:13 Titus’ spirit was refreshed by the Corinthian believers when he visited them.
• Phm. 1:7 Philemon refreshed the saints, giving them great joy and consolation in his love.
• Phm. 1:20 Paul wanted Philemon to refresh him by allowing Onesimus to stay with him.

In the New Testament, Christians bear the yoke of gospel ministry together (Phil. 2:25, 4:3). The servant of God who serves with others, knowing that he is laboring with God in Christ, can experience the rest that Jesus promised to those who come to him and take his yoke upon them.

This is only one of the many reasons why we must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together or assume that online preaching is just as good as being at church in person. We need real, face-to-face fellowship, especially the encouragement of our sisters in the faith.

Craving Fellowship

But what if you don’t have a godly friend at hand to refresh you?

• Don’t forget that your spouse used to be—and hopefully still is—your best friend. What did you do together back then? Fan the flames.
• Don’t forsake the fellowship of believers—go to church ready to be a friend, and be the first to invite others to share a meal or a simple park date.
• Read a Christian biography and find joy in the fellowship of the saints.
• Call a friend or family member who might live far away, but whom you know is good at encouraging you. Let them know you find their company refreshing, and see if you can work out a time to get together regularly, even if it has to be online.
• Tell the Lord about your hunger for fellowship, and ask Him to meet your need in His time and way.
• Don’t ignore your children and other “spiritual babies” as givers of refreshing companionship. God often teaches and blesses as we serve “the least of these” (Mt. 18:4, Mt. 25:45).
• In the meantime, thank Him that He has allowed this time in your life to draw you closer to Himself—that without the help and comfort of others around you, you are more dependent on your relationship with Him alone to strengthen and refresh you.

Finally Refreshed

For more instruction and step-by-step encouragement to find refreshment for your soul, sign up below for the free study guide to go with this post. And stay tuned—I’m working on a course called “Mama’s Refresh” that I hope will be a blessing to you. In the meantime, please stop and use one or more of the above tips to refresh your soul in the Lord now.

Then let me know in the comments below—what did you do to be refreshed? Did you find it helped you turn your eyes off your troubles and onto Jesus?

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

– “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, ” by Helen Howarth Lemmel (1922).