One dictionary definition of rest is to cease work or movement in order to relax, sleep or recover strength. The Bible speaks of different levels or deepness of rest. From physical and mental rest, the outer level, to the deeper level of rest in God. So, what does the Word of God teach us about rest?
Physical and mental rest
God built rest into the natural rhythm of life. In Genesis 2:2 (NLT) we read “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.” Exodus 31:17 tells us that God not only rested on the seventh day, but also “was refreshed”.
Despite the fact that Jesus knew His time on earth was short and very precious, He made time for rest and refreshment. He offered restorative breaks to his disciples as they worked (Mark 6:30-32). He made time for sleep (Mark 4:38). And in Mark 2:27 (NLV) Jesus said about the sabbath, “The Day of Rest was made for the good of man.”
Are you following Jesus’ example, making time for rest?
Rest is vital for physical and mental health, concentration, memory, our immune system, managing stress, mood and even metabolism. Rest looks different for everyone. Rest can be active, such as going for a walk or spending time in prayer. Or passive, for example taking time to sit down and breathe deeply. Sleep is an essential function of the body and impacts every system from our intellectual ability to our immune health. Quality sleep can help us renew, recover and recharge.
Sabbath rest
Exodus 34:21 (ESV) “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In ploughing time and in harvest you shall rest.” In Scripture, God gives us a pattern of how to live. We need to work and rest. We not only have God’s permission, but also His blessing to rest.
When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, one of His commandments in Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV) was to “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” The Hebrew word for sabbath is “šab·bāt”, meaning to rest, to stop, or to cease. The Hebrew word used in this scripture for “made it holy” means to be set apart, to be honoured as different, be treated as sacred or consecrated.
The Jews observe the Sabbath day on a Saturday. And the early church kept the Lord’s Day on a Sunday. On both these days people set apart time before God, reflecting on God as the centre of life and worshiping Him. As Christians, we can observe such a time on any day of the week. Paul wrote in Romans 14:5-6 (AMP) “One person regards one day as better [or more important] than another, while another regards every day [the same as any other]. Let everyone be fully convinced (assured, satisfied) in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord.”
Paul noted in Colossians 2:16 (NLT) “So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.” It is not mandatory for Christians to keep the Sabbath day, but they can voluntarily opt to accept the gift of sabbath rest offered. Jesus taught that God gave the sabbath as a gift to the people He had created (Mark 2:27). Apart from the physical, emotional and mental benefits of rest, in practicing ‘sabbath’ rest, we also show that we trust that God will take care of our needs. By allowing ourselves to rest, we demonstrate our belief that God will provide for the details of our lives, and that we don’t have to strive every waking moment. Resting shows our dependence on God, and reveals that we believe that He loves us and will provide for us. Psalm 90:17 (ESV) “Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”
Is something robbing you from accepting the gift and blessing of the sabbath rest?
Israel even kept a Sabbath year. They planted and harvested for 6 years and then in the seventh year they allowed the earth to rest. Leviticus 25:20-21 (CEV) “Don’t ever worry about what you will eat during the seventh year when you are forbidden to plant or harvest. I will see to it that you harvest enough in the sixth year to last for 3 years.”
Unfortunately, the children of Israel learnt the importance of the Sabbath year the hard way. They refused to rest the earth every 7 years, as God commanded. For 490 years they ignored God, and never let their animals and land rest. As a result, for each of the Sabbath years missed, they spent a year in exile. They were carried away into captivity having to leave their land so it could rest as God commanded. Seventy years was spent in captivity due to their disobedience! 2 Chronicles 36:21 (CEV) “Judah was an empty desert, and it stayed that way for 70 years, to make up for all the years it was not allowed to rest.”
Prayer: Father, please help me to understand and take advantage of the sabbath rest You offer to me. Help me to trust that You will take care of all that concerns me. In Jesus name, Amen.
Rest in Him
God has made us unto Himself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.
St Augustine of Hippo (354 AD – 430 AD)
Rest in God is intimately tied to God’s presence. When Moses was worried about the fate of Israel and the effectiveness of his leadership, God comforted him in Exodus 33:14 (NKJV) by saying “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Amidst Moses’ concerns, God proclaims that rest will be provided through his presence.
David declared in Psalm 62:1 (NIV) “Truly my soul finds rest in God”. In Psalm 23:2-3 (CEV), he wrote “You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water, and you refresh my life.” We, too, can find rest in God and be refreshed.
Jesus offers us rest in Him.
Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:28-30 (CEV) “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” The Message (MSG) translation beautifully describes the verse like this: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
The rest Jesus refers to here, is not physical exhaustion. It is the profound peace that God gives to those who spend time with Him. Who learns from Him. People who lay their burdens down at His feet. Those who love and obey Him. It’s rest that calms our fears, and gives us confidence to face the future, regardless of circumstances. It is the kind of peace that allows us to rest at all times because we are trusting the Lord.
Rest in God equates to trusting God and staying focused on Him.
Isaiah 26:3-4 (AMPC) promises “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. So, trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].”
Rest in God is intimately tied to His presence.
How do we rest in God?
- We enter rest by faith in His grace
With Jesus resurrection on Easter Sunday, true sabbath rest arrived. Through our personal relationship with Jesus, and faith in what He did for us on the cross, we access God’s grace and find rest in Him. Romans 5:1-2 (CEV) “By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. Christ has also introduced us to God’s gift of undeserved grace on which we now take our stand. So, we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God.”
In salvation, our soul finds rest (Psalm 62:1). Accept the grace given by God to live through faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we believe it, we become righteous through faith, not by struggling to be perfect or good. We can never through striving, labouring or trying, please God or be saved.
- Rest in His presence through prayer
Jesus withdrew from people and went to speak to his Father in prayer (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46-47; John 6:15, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his hearers, including us, to find a private place to seek our Father’s face. Matthew 6:6 (NLT) “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
Through prayer we enter into God’s presence. What happens when we shape our worries into prayers, letting God know our concerns? Philippians 4:6-7 (AMP) “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].”
- Rest in God’s Word, receiving His promises and strength
Spending time in God’s Word is a way to grow closer to Him. God gave us the Bible to help us learn about Him, remind us of His promises, and give us hope. We won’t know God’s amazing promises if we don’t read about them. Jeremiah 6:16 (AMPC) urges us “Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Jesus offers us rest in sharing His yoke (Matthew 11:28-30). His yoke is a symbol of discipleship. During Biblical times, a yoke was a harness used to attach a younger animal to a more experienced one. The yoke of Jesus is not meant as a burden. By taking Jesus’s yoke, we learn from His example and His teachings in the Word. By sharing His yoke, we have a close relationship with Him and we draw from His strength. In effect, Jesus offers to help carry our burdens and thus find rest.
- Rest in God’s unconditional love
Psalm 127:2 (NLT) “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” Trust God’s unconditional love for you. We serve a loving God who promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). No good thing will He deny those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11). Those who trust Him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11).
God dearly loves us.
By spending time with God, we are reminded that we can trust Him. Psalm 46:10 (NLT) “Be still, and know that I am God!”
We need to do, what we know we need to do, according to Scripture, and submit everything else to God in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7). How often do we come to God in prayer, turn our burdens over to Him, but when we resume our daily activities, we pick them up again? We don’t leave them with Him. When we try to do God’s part, we live stressed-out, in worry, fear, anxiety and frustration, with no peace, rest or joy. When we meditate on a problem – rolling it over and over in our mind, worrying, trying to figure things out – we’re in effect telling God, ‘I’m not sure You can take care of this problem, Lord.’ Remember to stop, turn your focus back on God and once again enter His rest (Isaiah 26:3).
- Rest in God’s faithfulness
Practice thankfulness. Sometimes we are so focussed on what we need to do next, or our needs, that we forget God’s faithfulness. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace.”
Praise is another powerful tool. It reminds us of who God is, all He has done for us, and the incredible future He has promised us. Praise paves the way for gratitude to flow from our hearts, while bringing joy, and peace (rest) to our souls. Praise helps us rest assured that God is good, no matter what we might face. He loves us. And He is with us. Psalm 117:1-2 (NLT) “Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.”
God grants us rest
Are you living in the unforced rhythms of grace?
- Physical/mental rest and sleep. Are you following Jesus’ example, by taking time to sleep and rest?
- Sabbath rest. Are you taking time out from your labours, trusting in God’s care and provision?
- Rest in salvation. Have you found rest for your soul? Are you accepting that Jesus’ offer was enough? That none of your efforts can or will add anything to it? Are you resting in the full magnitude of God’s grace?
- Cast your cares on God in prayer. Are you resting from your worries, fears, concerns, anxieties, stresses and troubles? Have you turned them over to God? Are you leaving them with Him?
- Are you resting in God’s presence, His love, His provision, His promises and His faithfulness? Have you accepted Jesus’ invitation to share His yoke and share in His strength?
Prayer: Father, please help me to slow down and stop long enough to dwell with You. Help me to rest in You. To remember that You are sovereign in power and authority. Help me to place my cares in Your capable hands, knowing that I can trust You to take care of me. In Jesus name, Amen.
