Honoring God Through Rest
“Most of the things we need to be most fully alive never come in busyness. They grow in rest.”
Mark Buchanan, The Holy Wild: Trusting in the Character of God
I used to be the girl who never truly set aside time to rest. In high school, I would be working on homework seven days a week, I was involved in several extracurricular activities, and I would stay up late into the night on my phone, iPad, or computer. These are habits that I carried with me to college where I also added working out, which at times I took to an unhealthy extreme.
While I didn’t spend every waking hour working and being “productive,”—many of those hours I wasted, something I was an expert at—I never truly let my mind and my body rest to fully enjoy the life that God had given me.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college when I took a class on spiritual formation, that I learned the importance and reward of practicing spiritual, mental, and physical rest.
In my spiritual formation class, we read a book by Henri Nouwen—a Catholic priest, professor, theologian, and prolific writer—titled Making All Things New. In it, Nouwen broke down the theology behind the practice of biblical rest—Sabbath—and paints a beautiful picture of what it can look like both in the individual sense, as well as within community.
Nouwen addressed the struggles that Christians often have when faced with the opportunity to rest and enjoy life.
“We have a suspicion that to be carefree is unrealistic and—worse—dangerous.”
Henri Nouwen, Making All Things New, p.15
In this, Nouwen was speaking about the societal lie of the hustle culture that many Christians have embraced as truth. His desire for Christians was for them to know that rest and being carefree were two of the greatest keys to a successful and fulfilling life. This is because God has commanded us to live a life of rhythms—rhythms that include work AND rest.
Before we get into the practical details of adding the rhythm of rest to your life, I want to make sure that we are all on the same page when it comes to understanding what the biblical definition of rest, or Sabbath, is.
Jess Connolly, a Christian author, podcaster, and local church leader describes what a biblical sabbath is in a simple, yet profound way. She defines it as “taking 24 hours enjoying God and the life He’s given you—not trying to get ahead, earn, prove, or fix anything” (”Tired of Being Tired with Jess Connolly,” episode 184 of “Real Talk with Rachael Podcast”).
Now before you panic, thinking that 24 hours is way too long—and *how am I ever supposed to get everything done that I need to do!—*I want you to take a deep breath and read this piece of Scripture:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Exodus 20:8 (ESV)
Now, read it again. This time I want you to slow down and think about what it says. Read the context of the verse and consider what the Lord is commanding here.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, 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, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Stop and read it as many times as you need.
Now STOP, and pray about it.
Talk to God—write it out in your journal if that helps you—and ask Him to explain anything confusing. Then ask Him to guide you on how to best practice the Sabbath.
Then STOP talking and sit in silence for a few minutes—set a timer if you need to—and listen for His answer.
Look up commentaries about this passage, get out a study Bible if you have one, and read about it.
Bible Gateway has commentaries built into it. Download the free Blue Letter Bible app to access even more commentaries and Bible study resources. Buy yourself a study Bible—this is like the one that I have and I love it!
If you’re still panicking about the idea of practicing the Sabbath, if taking off 24 hours a week feels too unattainable or too impossible, if it causes more stress than rest, then start with just one hour a week.
One hour today.
Or tomorrow.
When it comes to the Sabbath—or any command from the Lord—God is not looking for or expecting perfection. He simply wants your obedience.
Start this week by having one small hour of Sabbath rest. Then next week make it two hours. And the next week three hours.
At your own pace keep adding one hour (or even just 30 minutes) to your Sabbath. But do not fret or worry about next week or the week after.
Thank God for today’s opportunity to rest in Him.
To enjoy His creation.
That’s why He rested on the seventh day of creation.
“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)
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy….For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
God rested not because He needed to, but because He wanted to sit back, enjoy, and marvel at the beauty of His creation.
Sabbath day is His invitation to us to join Him in that restful enjoyment.
And by practicing the Sabbath, you are practicing trust in the Lord. You are trusting that through His strength, you can accomplish all the work that is needed for the week in six days—so that you can enjoy and rest on the seventh day (Exodus 20:8-11).
And you know what?
Your Sabbath doesn’t have to be on a Sunday. It can be any day of the week!
In my current season of life, as a staff member at a church, I don’t take my rest day on Sundays since it’s a work day for me. Instead, I usually make Saturdays my rest day—or sometimes Fridays.
Find a day that works best for you and your schedule, and then commit to God in prayer that that is the day—or the hour—which you will spend resting in His presence and enjoying the life that He has created for you.
Remember, the Lord is not looking for your perfection. He is simply asking for your obedience.
So here is one last practical tip for practicing the Sabbath. If you need to keep yourself accountable, write REST DAY on your calendar over the day that you have designated for your Sabbath. I’ve started to do it every so often over the past few months because, if I’m being honest, it’s HARD to set aside time to rest. ****
While I used to be the girl who never truly set aside time to rest, I now do my best to make it a priority in my life.
Do I always rest for a full 24 hours every week? No.
Do I try to set aside a little a little bit of a Sabbath rest once or twice a week? Yes, absolutely.
Why do I do it? Because I know that I need it and I know that the Lord has commanded me to do it.
So let’s choose to rest in the presence of our Lord, Savior, and Creator this week!
Here’s my challenge for you today: schedule an hour or day this week to rest and enjoy the life God has given to you. Then quickly scribble down a note of what that might look like.
If it’s going to coffee with friends, then do that.
If it’s hibernating in your room curled up with a good book and a cup of coffee or tea, then do that.
If it’s going on a long walk or run either by yourself (with Jesus) or with a friend, then do that.
Do whatever it is that will be refreshing to you and will allow you to soak in God’s goodness and blessing for a day.
Instead of being the people who forget to take the time to rest, join me this week in practicing the Sabbath and keeping it holy. God will bless us for our obedience.