Father, you created me to be holy, whole and healthy. In the works and words Jesus you have provided authority and power to me to live a rich and satisfying life. When I ask for physical health I know you hear and respond.

Alongside this blessing you have also delegated responsibility to me to make wise decisions about how I treat my body, how I eat, rest, and manage my physical activities. Grant to understanding to know best practices for my health. You have given great insights in scripture. Reveal and remind me of these principles for successful living. Give me prudence as well to learn additional insights you are uncovering through science research. Grant wisdom and courage to me to appropriate the knowledge of my health now available to me.

First of all, give me strength and determination to rest as I must. Rest is your great gift and you have designed me to rest first and foremost. Remind me to work from rest and not merely rest from work. In the pattern of ancient Hebrews, help me to begin each day at sundown, focusing on relationships, with you and my circle of family and friends. My days begin in rest and when I rise in the morning I move into my day having grounded myself in your gift of peace.

Likewise, I begin each week with a Sabbath, a full day of full rest. You created us on the last day of your labors, the sixth day, and our first day of existence was your first day of rest. As community of followers of Jesus we now set aside the first day of the week for worship and relationships. Remind me to keep this day holy, and give me strength and determination to resist temptations to compromise this mandate.

Remind me, as the writer of Hebrews does to “make an effort to enter your rest.” This is my most immediate responsibility and the first principle of securing your blessing on my physical health. Today, I will intentionally rest. I ask you to pour your peace out over the cells of my body. I ask you to relax the tension in my muscles. I receive your gift of rest and exchange the stresses of anxiety and fear for the joys of your “shalom” peace.