“How are you doing?”

It’s a simple question, and admittedly a rather vague one. But I find myself posing this question to almost everyone I run into throughout my day—whether it’s coworkers, neighbors or the guy at Dunkin Donuts who makes my coffee.

Come to think of it, it’s probably the most frequent question I get asked myself. But whether we’re on the giving or receiving end of this question, I get the feeling we all tend to answer in similar ways.

I’ve compiled a list of the top three answers that come out of people’s mouths—including my own—when asked, “How are you doing?” Have I been acquiring statistically accurate polling data? No. But see if these responses sound familiar:

1. “Good, how are you?”
2. “Busy!”
3. “Tired!”

I’m a chief offender when it comes to smiling and insisting that I’m “fine” or “good” when making casual small talk. But the second and third responses on the list are telling: most of us have a lingering feeling of busyness and fatigue.

Do you find yourself living for the weekend? Do you crave a vacation? Are you like me—frequently yearning for a nap in a big, comfy armchair? These common desires reveal our longing for something deeper. Deep down, all of us want lasting rest.

While our desire for rest may be common, the circumstances of our weariness can look different. Maybe you’re new at your job and find yourself working late nights just to keep up with your coworkers. Maybe middle age is hitting your body harder than you would like to admit. Or maybe the stress of a broken relationship is keeping you awake at night.

No matter what stressors are wearing you down, you can turn to God’s Word when you desperately need rest. And the peace that God can provide is far better than even the timeliest powernap.

Here are five Bible verses about the deep rest that God holds out for his people. As you read, pray about any physical or spiritual burdens weighing you down right now. Ask him to provide you with peace and rest through his Word:

1. Psalm 4:8 (GNTD)
   When I lie down, I go to sleep in peace; you alone, O Lord, keep me perfectly safe.
2. Psalm 23:1-2 (GNTD)
   The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.
3. Matthew 11:28 (GNTD)
   “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”
4. Hebrews 4:9-10 (GNTD)
   As it is, however, there still remains for God's people a rest like God's resting on the seventh day. For those who receive that rest which God promised will rest from their own work, just as God rested from his.
5. Genesis 2:2-3 (GNTD)
   By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working.