What Keeps You From Finding Peace and Rest? Four Barriers

Fear, famine, flies and friction are four barriers that can keep you from finding peace and rest. Dr. Beverly Lewis connects these images from Psalm 23 with struggles that disrupt our lives, and points to intentional rest and spiritual reflection as ways to seek direction. She shares this perspective on The Elisha Show with host Amb. Elisha Arowojobe.

Key takeaways

• Dr. Beverly Lewis identifies fear, famine, flies and friction as four things that keep sheep from resting.
• These four images offer a way to consider the struggles that interfere with peace in everyday life.
• Rest may need to be intentional rather than something that happens only after all activity is finished.
• Psalm 23 can be approached as a guide to live, not only words to know.
• Pausing for spiritual reflection can help people seek direction during uncertainty, loss and difficult seasons.

What are the four things that keep you from rest?

The four things are fear, famine, flies and friction. Dr. Lewis uses these images to frame the struggles that can keep sheep from resting and to connect them with challenges people face.

The episode does not treat rest as simply having nothing to do. It asks listeners to notice what is getting in the way of peace. Naming the four categories can offer a starting point for reflection: consider which one best describes what is disrupting your own sense of rest, without assuming every difficulty fits neatly into one label.

How can Psalm 23 help you find peace?

Psalm 23 can help people reflect on how to seek guidance and rest through the image of the Shepherd leading the sheep. Dr. Lewis focuses on the psalm’s practical meaning in seasons of uncertainty, loss and everyday pressure.

One useful distinction is between knowing the words of Psalm 23 and living its message. The conversation encourages readers to bring Scripture into daily life, rather than treating familiarity with its words as the same thing as applying them.

Why does rest need to be intentional?

Rest needs to be intentional because constant activity can make it harder to hear God’s guidance. The conversation presents pausing as a way to respond more thoughtfully to life’s challenges, rather than continuing to move without reflection.

A practical step is to make room for a pause when pressures build and use that time for spiritual reflection. The point is not to claim that a pause will resolve every difficulty, but that it can create space to consider direction before responding.

How can you respond to uncertainty or loss?

Spiritual reflection and the message of Psalm 23 can offer direction to consider during uncertainty, loss and difficult seasons. Dr. Lewis connects the psalm’s message with finding peace when life feels pressured.

This approach centers on pausing and seeking the Shepherd’s lead, rather than assuming that doing more is always the answer. It offers a way to reflect on what is happening and how to respond, while recognizing that difficult seasons may still require care and time.

What does it mean to live Psalm 23 every day?

Living Psalm 23 means putting its message into practice, rather than only knowing or repeating its words. Dr. Lewis’s book, The Shelter in the Shepherd: The Psalm 23 Experience, makes the psalm practical for everyday life.

In this conversation, that practical connection includes considering what blocks rest, making space to pause and reflecting on guidance. The focus is on how Scripture can shape daily responses, not just remain familiar language.

About Dr. Beverly Lewis

Dr. Beverly Lewis is the author of The Shelter in the Shepherd: The Psalm 23 Experience, a book that makes Psalm 23 practical for everyday life. She discusses the psalm’s meaning and its connection to finding rest on The Elisha Show.

Frequently asked questions

What are fear, famine, flies and friction in Psalm 23?

Dr. Beverly Lewis presents fear, famine, flies and friction as four things that keep sheep from resting. She connects these images with struggles people experience, using them as a way to think about what may be interfering with peace.

Can Psalm 23 help during a difficult season?

Psalm 23 can serve as a source of spiritual reflection and direction during uncertainty, loss and everyday pressure. Dr. Lewis emphasizes applying its message in life, rather than only knowing its words.

Why is it hard to find peace when you are always busy?

Constant activity can prevent people from hearing God’s guidance, according to the themes discussed by Dr. Lewis. Making an intentional pause creates room for spiritual reflection and may help someone consider a wiser response to a challenge.

What is the difference between knowing and living Psalm 23?

Knowing Psalm 23 means being familiar with its words; living it means bringing its message into everyday life. Dr. Lewis’s approach connects the psalm with practical questions about rest, guidance and the struggles that disrupt peace.

Listen to the full conversation with Dr. Beverly Lewis on The Elisha Show, hosted by Amb. Elisha Arowojobe, for more about Psalm 23 and the barriers that can keep you from rest.