This list gives you King James Version verses about rest, arranged by the moments when rest feels hardest to come by: a sleepless night, a season of exhaustion, and the restless places inside us that work cannot touch. It is written for anyone who wants to hear what Scripture says about rest and how to receive it. Each verse here points away from our own effort and toward God as the source of real refreshment.
Verses for the Night You Cannot Sleep
Some nights the mind will not slow down, and the quiet of the house only makes the worries louder. The verses in this group speak to that particular kind of wakefulness, reminding you that rest is something God gives, not something you must manufacture by force.
Psalm 4:8
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD , only makest me dwell in safety.
(KJV)
David wrote this as a man who had many reasons to lie awake. Read it slowly as you lie down, and let the last clause be your prayer: God alone makes you dwell safely. Then name the one worry keeping you up and set it down beside the psalm.
Psalm 127:2
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
(KJV)
This verse says God gives sleep to His beloved, which means sleep is a gift rather than a reward for productivity. When you feel guilty for resting, remember that the psalmist connects sleep with trust. Try tonight to stop bargaining with your schedule and simply accept the rest offered.
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(KJV)
Jesus speaks these words to people who are tired and burdened, not to those who have earned a break. If you are worn down by something you cannot fix, carry that heaviness to Him in plain words before you close your eyes. Let the invitation be personal: come, and I will give you rest.
Verses for a Season of Exhaustion
Rest is not always a single night of sleep. Sometimes you are depleted over weeks or months by caring for others, grieving, or pushing through demanding work. These verses address that longer weariness and show that God’s care reaches into ordinary, sustained tiredness.
Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
(KJV)
Isaiah wrote to a discouraged people who felt spent and forgotten. The promise is not that you will never grow tired, but that the Lord renews strength to those who wait on Him. Each morning this week, pause before your first task and wait on God for a moment, asking Him to renew what you lack.
Exodus 33:14
And he said, My presence shall go with thee , and I will give thee rest.
(KJV)
Moses pleaded with God for His presence before he would move forward, and God answered that His presence would go with him and give him rest. When the road ahead feels endless, ask for the Lord’s presence rather than only for relief. Rest in this verse is found in companionship with God, not only in an empty calendar.
Hebrews 4:9
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
(KJV)
The writer of Hebrews describes a Sabbath rest that remains for God’s people, a deeper rest than a day off. Consider where you are still striving to earn approval or secure your own future. Name one area today where you will stop working for acceptance and receive what God has already given.
Verses for the Restless Places Inside You
Sometimes the unrest is not about tiredness at all. It is a restless heart that keeps searching, comparing, and fretting even when the body is still. These verses point to the source of settled peace that holds steady beneath the surface of a busy life.
Psalm 62:1
Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.
(KJV)
David begins this psalm by saying his soul waits in silence for God alone. The Hebrew language here suggests a settled stillness, not a forced one. Try beginning your prayer time with thirty seconds of silence before you speak, letting your soul catch up with the quiet God is offering.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
(KJV)
Jesus gives peace in a way the world does not, and He tells His disciples not to let their hearts be troubled. The peace He offers is not the absence of trouble but a steady heart within it. When anxiety rises today, respond by naming the peace of Christ and asking Him to guard your heart.
Psalm 23:2
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
(KJV)
The shepherd makes his sheep lie down in green pastures and leads them beside still waters. Notice that rest here is something the shepherd provides and guides you toward. Think of one small, concrete way you can step into a quieter place today, such as a walk without your phone or a few minutes by an open window.
Verses for Sabbath and Regular Rhythms of Rest
Rest is meant to be built into the shape of life, not squeezed in when everything else is finished. These verses encourage a regular pattern of stopping, worshiping, and trusting God with what remains undone.
Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
(KJV)
God finished His work of creation and rested, and the rest itself is part of the story He tells about the world. Your rest is not a sign that you have failed to keep up. Plan one regular stopping point this week, even a short one, and treat it as a deliberate act of trust.
Exodus 20:8
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
(KJV)
The fourth commandment asks Israel to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Remembering is a discipline, because the busy days crowd out what matters most. Choose a specific time in your week to set work aside and remember that rest is commanded for your good and for the good of those who work for you.
Mark 6:31
And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
(KJV)
Jesus invites His weary disciples to come away to a quiet place and rest a while, even when crowds still pressed in. He does not ask them to finish everything first. Take Jesus at His word this week by scheduling one unhurried stretch with Him, even if other needs are still waiting.
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
(KJV)
God calls His people to be still and know that He is God, even among nations in turmoil. Stillness is the posture of trust, an admission that the outcome is not yours to control. When you feel the pressure to fix everything, pause and speak these words aloud as a reminder who is in charge.
How to Use These Verses
Write two or three of these verses on a card and keep it on your nightstand, in your car, or beside your coffee maker. Reading them in the places where you feel most tired or restless helps Scripture meet you in real moments rather than staying in a notebook. Return to the same few verses for a week rather than hunting for new ones each day, since repetition lets the words sink deeper.
Pray the verses back to God in your own words. Turn a verse like Matthew 11:28 into a sentence such as “Lord, I come to You tired and carrying this weight.” This practice turns reading into conversation and gives your tiredness a place to be spoken rather than held silently.
A Short Prayer for Rest
Lord, You know how tired I am, and You know the thoughts that keep me awake and the work that never seems to end. I confess that I often believe rest must be earned, and that stopping means falling behind. Teach me to receive the rest You give, the sleep You provide, and the quiet presence You promise. Help me trust You with what I cannot finish today. Settle my heart in Your care, and let me rise renewed in Your strength. Amen.
