What is the "Rest of the Lord"?

The Guide to the Scriptures says,

The enjoyment of peace and freedom from worry and turmoil. The Lord has promised such rest to his faithful followers during this life. He has also prepared a place of rest for them in the next life.

Of the rest of the Lord, President Joseph F. Smith said,

To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. We know of the doctrine that it is of God, and we do not ask any questions of anybody about it; they are welcome to their opinions, to their ideas and to their vagaries. The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into ‘God’s rest’ (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 56, Quoted in "Rest unto Your Souls", Per G. Malm, Oct 2010).

Joseph Smith said

Let us here observe, that three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. First, the idea that He actually exists.  

Secondly, a correct idea of His character, perfections, and attributes.  

Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to His will. 

(Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, 3:2-5)

I can know that I am living a life that is according to God's will without having a knowledge God does exist. I can believe in God. I can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. I can align my life with morals, with ethics. I can live with integrity to my word, my covenants.

None of this requires me knowing that God lives. I can believe. I can step out in faith. I can have the rest of the Lord as I remain inside integrity.

The paradox is that for me to live a life I love, and to live it powerfully, I will want more than I am. I want possibilities outside of my realm of reality. I want my integrity to be bigger. As I create my possibilities, I create breakdowns between my word and my reality. I am outside of integrity.

This is good news. It means there is an opportunity for growth. My reality grows to meet my new word. To be inside of a bigger integrity.

The key is to get really, really good at restoring integrity. Be open, be brave, be in action, be at peace.

Be in the Lord's rest.

Praying Rests the Weary

Did You Think to Pray? Hymn 140


1. Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ, our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor,
As a shield today?

Refrain.
O how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life gets dark and dreary,
Don’t forget to pray.

2. When your heart was filled with anger,
Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace my brother,
That you might forgive another
Who had crossed your way?

3. When sore trials came upon you,
Did you think to pray?
When your soul was full of sorrow,
Balm of Gilead did you borrow
At the gates of day?

(From HymnWiki)

The phrase "O how praying rests the weary" has been meaningful to me lately. What is the rest of the Lord?

On a recent John Bytheway talk he said that we only get weary from not finishing what we started.  I have experienced that. There is energy in completing meaningful work.  Maybe that part of what the rest of the Lord is.

In order to recover and collect strength

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. — Matthew 11:28-30

Bruce Webster looked up the Greek word that is translated as “rest”.  It means, "to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength".  This gives new meaning to the word for me.
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"You'll never rise higher in all your lives"

I agree with this

"Behold how great is your calling” (D&C 112:33). How great is your calling! You are not sent here to take pictures. You are not sent here to play. You are sent here to find and teach. That's our opportunity, our challenge, and our responsibility. You'll never rise higher in all your lives than you will do while you are in the mission field. That may sound like a strange thing. I said that once in Argentina many years ago, and about ten years later I received a letter from a young man who said, "When I was on a mission in Argentina, you came there and you put a hex on me. I haven't been able to lift it. I have been no good ever since. I failed in school, I failed in my work, I failed in my marriage." I didn't put a hex on him. I simply told him that he would never stand taller, never rise higher, than while in the service of the Lord, and his subsequent life demonstrated that.

This is the great day of your opportunity to establish within yourselves habits of work that will bless you throughout your lives. Said the Lord, "And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you." (D&C 88:67.) If you concentrate on the work of the Lord, if you give it everything you have, your whole body shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you. Gone will be the darkness of sin. Gone will be the darkness of laziness. Gone will be all of these negative things. That's the word of the Lord to you and to me.
(Belgium Brussels Missionary Meeting, June 12, 1996) As quoted in (Gordon B. Hinckley, The Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997, p. 362)

And this

If we want to keep the Spirit, we must work.

There is no greater exhilaration or satisfaction than to know, after a hard day of work, that we have done our best.

I have often said that one of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work! If a missionary works, he will get the Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will teach by the Spirit; and if he teaches by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts of the people and he will be happy. Work, work, work—there is no satisfactory substitute, especially in missionary work.

We must not give Satan an opportunity to discourage us. Here again, work is the answer. Missionary work brings joy, optimism, and happiness. The Lord has given us a key by which we can overcome discouragement:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28–30; italics added.)

In the Savior’s time, the purpose of a yoke was to get oxen pulling together in a united effort. Our Savior has a great cause to move forward. He has asked all of us to be equally yoked together to move His cause forward. It requires not only a united effort; it requires complete dependence on Him. As He said to His early Apostles, “Without me ye can do nothing.”

Our work will be light and easy to bear if we will depend on the Lord and work.
(Ezra Taft Benson, “Keys to Successful Member-Missionary Work,” Ensign, Sep 1990, 2)