There are a wealth of quotes and soundbites from saints that offer divine insight and motivation for our spiritual lives. One can think of Padre Pio’s famous quip: “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” Or, Mother Teresa’s reminder that, “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” And, of course, Saint Francis’ invitation: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” While historians may debate and debunk the validity of these and similar quotes, the sentiment is authentic, and the application is true. Plus, they look good on our Catholic coffee mugs and t-shirts.
Another popular quote I often see comes from Saint Augustine, who prayed, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” While the prior quotes may have dubious or unclear origins, this quote from the famed Bishop of Hippo opens his autobiography, The Confessions. Yet even with a clear and correct source, I find its enactment and practice far more muddied than its wording suggests. And this is why. Many Christians understand Augustine to imply that once we draw near to God, our restlessness should cease. Yet, this hardly matches the human experience.
Despite our best efforts, isn’t it true that we often feel unsettled in prayer when our requests seem unanswered. And don’t we find that the weight of daily responsibilities and constant noise can sometimes make it difficult to be still and attentive to God’s voice. Or seeing others’ spiritual experiences and blessings can stir a tinge of restlessness in us.
I wish going to Mass or spending time before the Blessed Sacrament would instantly calm all our anxieties. I can’t count how many times I’ve turned to prayer, looking for an answer, only to discover more questions. Or how many times I’ve sat in a church and, instead of being enamored with God’s presence, was hyperaware of my fears, desires, and longings stirring within me. This is something we all experience, at least from time to time.
Do these realities point to the fact that we aren’t properly resting in God, or to a deeper reality about the Christian walk and our struggle with feeling restless?
Often, when we feel unsettled, our first impulse is to make the feeling go away. Yet perhaps that is the wrong question. Rather than trying to eliminate our restlessness, what would open up if we asked what God might be trying to reveal through it.
The goal is not the elimination of restlessness but its redemption. In many ways, restlessness is simply what desire feels like when it has not yet been fulfilled. In a word, restlessness can be holy.
Three ways to redeem your restlessness
The reality is that every human heart is restless to one degree or another. The key is to determine where our restlessness is leading us. So here are three things you can do to redeem your restlessness:
When you feel the agitation of unrest, instead of dismissing or ignoring it, consider it an invitation to surrender and trust. In this light, your restlessness becomes a current that moves you into deeper communion with God and participation in his mission.
Resist the urge to discount or discard your feelings and instead ask what your restlessness may be revealing. Rather than viewing your unease as a problem to solve, adopt a posture of holy curiosity. Explore whether it might be pointing to unhealthy attachments, hidden wounds, neglected prayer, or forgotten callings. Just as our physical hunger drives us to seek food, spiritual restlessness signals a deeper need that calls for our attention.
Finally, here is a simple litmus test: ask whether your longings and unfulfilled desires pull you further away from God or draw you closer to him. If you recognize that your longings are taking you away from God in pursuit of lesser things, it would be wise to pause and courageously analyze the desires that have captured your mind and heart. If you find that your unmet desires are rooted in a deep yearning for God’s promises, your restlessness can become your guide. If you pay attention to it, it will reveal where God is inviting you to grow, surrender, or trust him more deeply.
What does it mean to rest in God?
For the believer, peace and longing are not opposites. We can be at rest in the Lord while still feeling the restlessness of desiring the fulfillment of his promises in our lives. True contentment is not achieved by silencing our longings, but by pointing them in the proper direction.
The believer who finds his rest in God does not cease to desire; instead, he desires more deeply.
He does not stop longing, but now longs for the right things.
He does not become indifferent or passive but attentive.
When Saint Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they rest in the Lord, I believe this is what he meant. His prayer reveals he understood that we were created to desire. It is not so much about a promise of spiritual tranquility as it is about the natural fruit of a heart fully surrendered to God. It wasn’t a petition to eliminate longing, but about what happens when restlessness finally finds its true home. As we turn to God, our restless striving gradually gives way to a longing for deeper communion and faithfulness.
And so Augustine's famous quote does not offer us the assurance that we will never feel unsettled again. But it is a reminder that every restless ache ultimately points beyond itself. Our desires are not meant to torture us but to help lead us home. Beneath every holy ache and longing is the same invitation: return to the God for whom you were made.
For our hearts are restless until they rest in God.
Kris Frank is the Vice President of Mission Advancement for the National Eucharistic Congress. A graduate of Franciscan University, he is a trained spiritual director, author, and sought-after speaker dedicated to evangelization and serving the Church. Kris lives in Steubenville, Ohio, with his wife, Grace, and their six children, where he continues to lead others toward a deeper relationship with God.
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