Happy Monday! I hope you got some rest this weekend. God desires us to rest. Actually, it is more than just a desire. He created us to rest, and he commands us to rest.
When God created the earth, he created it in six days. On the seventh day, he created a day of rest called the Sabbath Day. God rested on this seventh day.
“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:2–3, ESV)
We are created in God’s image. So if the Almighty God rests, it is a good idea for us to rest. God knows how we function best. We will do well to follow his lead and rest.
Consider Isaiah 58. Here God speaks about the Sabbath. He warns of the consequences of ignoring Sabbath rest. He also promises restoration when Sabbath rest is observed.
““If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”” (Isaiah 58:13–14, ESV)
In spite of all this, we neglect rest. When was the last time you just took a day to do nothing? Absolutely nothing! No to-do list, no house work, no yard work, no errands, no going out on a date night and fighting the crowds! A day to just sleep. To read a good book (especially the Good Book). To watch a movie. To pray. Do it!
For some of us, our bodies would go into shock if we took a day of rest. But sometimes the most spiritually fulfilling and productive thing we can do is take a nap. God did not create you and me (I am preaching to myself here) to constantly be working.
Rest is not an easy thing. You need to work to rest. What I mean by that is you have to plan it. You have to prepare for it. If you don’t make it happen, it will not happen. It will not happen by accident. You need to be intentional to make it happen. But if you make rest a priority, you will be blessed.
Reflection
- What are the reasons we neglect God’s commandment to rest?
- How could you make rest a greater priority?
Prayer
Thank you Lord for the gift of rest. But too often I feel I need to work harder and do not take the time for rest. Forgive me for my lack of faith to trust in you to accomplish what I am unable to accomplish. Give me the resolve to live by the rhythms of your grace. Amen.
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