We live in an action-oriented world, and it seems that simplifying our lives has never been more complicated. Answer the following questions as honestly as you can to determine if you need to rest: Do I feel stressed when functioning in my normal day-to-day activities? Is it difficult to find joy in the life that God has given me? Do I get the kind of rest my body needs? Can I hear God?
It might seem as if there’s always work to do and no time for rest, but God never intended it to be that way for His people. God intended His people to follow His lead by living according to the rhythm of life He established. He modeled this rhythm when He worked for 6 days, creating the heavens and the earth (Genesis 2:1), and then rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). God rested, not because He was tired, but because He wanted to establish a holy pattern for His creation (Genesis 2:3)—a work-and-rest rhythm.
Later, this weekly day of rest would be called the Sabbath (Exodus 16:23, 20:8-11). It was designed to help people rediscover God as Creator, Redeemer, and Provider (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Also, it was a special day for people to recuperate physically and emotionally from the week.
Even though we believe every day belongs to God, we would do well to set aside one day each week to rest. This rest will look different for each of us. But it could include times of corporate and personal worship, prayer, and reading and meditating on God’s Word. We can also celebrate this day by resting our bodies, unplugging from technology, spending time with family, and refusing to let work concerns interfere.
Our times of Sabbath rest refresh us so that we can serve God and others effectively.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Samuel 5:1-12
More:
Read Matthew 11:28- 29 and see how Jesus provides spiritual rest for our souls. Our weekly rest should remind us of an eternal rest that we will one day enjoy (see Hebrews 4:3,11).
Next:
Do you find it difficult to slow down and rest? Why or why not? If so, what changes do you and your family need to make?
purestrength on April 3, 2011 at 11:00 am
Jesus did many of his miracles on the Jewish Sabbath and he reminded the Pharisees – In the book of Mark 2:27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
I think it is ideal to have Sunday off so that you can gather together with others to worship and learn about the Lord – However, if you do not have Sunday off of work, most churches have other times to come together and worship.
For me personally I ‘work” at my church services – so I am trying to find a time and a place to sit quietly and spend time with the Lord.
marvin williams on April 3, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Chileshe, I hear the tension in your voice and heart. I experience the same tension. This idea of sabbath rest is so foreign to us in the west that it creates tension in all of us. God has created us to have a rhythm in our lives. Some believers follow a Saturday sabbath, without legalism. Others believers I know live according to a Sunday rest. Others’ jobs mitigate against a saturday/sunday rest. The key is living according to a God-ordained rhythm. One of the keys to sabbath rest is trusting and “faithing” in God to provide for our needs.
marvin williams on April 3, 2011 at 5:14 pm
jeGeddes, thanks for your response. I appreciate it. One of the things that I am trying to do is build intentional days of rest into my week. For me, I think it has to be more than an occasional break; it has to be built into our schedules. You are spot on; God does not want us to make work our God and become slaves to our jobs. Jesus has come to set us free from all that holds us in bondage.
marvin williams on April 3, 2011 at 5:37 pm
purestrength, thanks for your response and the reminder of Jesus’ words. Because I am a pastor, I, too, work Saturday and Sunday. This can be difficult for me and my family. So, we have to choose a different day of rest and worship for our family. When I am not speaking on the weekends, we really enjoy times of worship together. Even the weekends when I am not speaking is difficult because people still approach me as if I am working. I am learning how to guard that time very carefully. Also, i have found personal retreats to be extremely helpful.
jeGeddes on April 3, 2011 at 2:57 am
It doesn’t really matter if you set aside a particular day or have occasional breaks when you start feeling tired. The real point is that you don’t become a workaholic who works all 7 days a week. Depending on what job you do, it might be an idea to have weekends of so you can spend time with your family or on your own if you don’t have a family. If you really want to keep Sabbaths, historians believe that the Jewish Sabbath was on a Saturday. In our western world the Sabbath is now recognized as a Sunday, so depending who you are, it doesn’t matter whether it is Saturday or Sunday.