God says you need rest

Assessing rest in a restless world

A 2018 study found that 60% of Americans reported they feel too busy to enjoy life. We live in a frantic, busy world. The restlessness many feel may not be entirely that we are working more (or harder) than other cultures or other times in history. It may also be that we do not know how to rest well. The 5+ hours we spend on our phones every day, half of which being social media and other forms of over-stimulated leisure, may be a factor. However, it seems clear that many of us (even Christians) are not good at seeing the need to rest or knowing how to rest well. 

Resting may feel like failure or weakness. Resting may feel more like the occasional treat and not a normal rhythm. If you feel stressed, anxious, and busy—even with good things like ministry—ask yourself these questions to assess your own need for rest.

• Does my personal time with Jesus feel like he’s always getting the leftovers of my energy and attention?

• Is loving and serving my spouse and/or kids starting to feel more like a burden than a blessing?

• Is my physical health suffering because of all I’m doing?

• Am I often anxious about the things I need to do because I’m so busy?

• Do interruptions to my plans or unexpected challenges feel overwhelming?

• Do I feel unable to tell others that I’m exhausted and need a break? 

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I invite you to see God’s invitation to enter into rest. Consider these seven biblical truths that call for us to rest (body, mind, and soul) in Christ.

1) God does not need to rest

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. Isaiah 40:27-28

Early in the chapter, it is clear that the people thought, ““Life is hard. I’m tired and weary. God must be tired of taking care of me? He must be weary of my burdens?” And Isaiah reminds them, “God is everlasting. He made everything. He knows everything. He never gets tired. Therefore, you can bring your every burden to him. He never gets overwhelmed by them.”

2) God created us to need rest

After God created mankind, he rested. God didn’t need rest but he did it as a picture for us of what we are called to do. Mankind was made limited and in need of rest. We need sleep everyday. Resting from work is so important, he put it in the law.

21 Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. Exodus 34:21

We need rest. Every week, God made it a requirement that Israel rest from work. Notice how he says “in plowing and harvest”? In the times you feel anxious like work has to be done and in the times when every hour of labor produces great profit, rest in both. Rest in times of anxiety and in times of abundance.

3) God gives us rest as a gift of love 

2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2

It’s useless to spend all your time working anxiously to then receive the fruit of your labors in the same anxious way. The verse before says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” God he challenges us to see that because he is in control, we don’t need to be anxious. He loves us and takes care of us and because of that, he gives those he loves rest. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their misunderstanding of this when he said, “Man wasn’t made for the Sabbath. Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27). Rest is a gift from God’s loving heart.

4) Jesus needed times of rest

There are times like Mark 1:35 where it says Jesus needed to get away and have mini-retreats with his Father, away from everyone. There are times like Matthew 8 where he is so physically tired, he is fast asleep in the boat while a storm is happening. There are times like John 4 where it says Jesus was “wearied from his long journey,” so he sat next to a well and asked a woman to get him some water. As driven as Jesus was, he recognized the need for rest and (even as the perfect man) made time for solitude, rest, and service from others.

5) Jesus invited his disciples into times of rest 

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. Mark 6:30-31

The disciples were busy doing the work of the kingdom. They were excited and seeing fruit from their labors. They come and tell Jesus all the good happening and what does Jesus say? “You’ve been busy. Let’s go away and rest a while.” Could it be that Jesus is inviting some of us, “You’ve been working hard… Come away with me, let’s be alone, and rest a while”? Isn’t this the interaction with Mary and Martha (Luke 10)? Martha was busy serving people and said, “Jesus, Mary is sitting at your feet listening to you while I do all the work.” Jesus replied, “Martha, Martha… You are anxious and troubled about so many things. But one thing is most important… Mary has chosen it.” Work, service, ministry … All of it is good and right. But we also need rest.

6) God is where we find rest for our souls

Physical and emotional rest are important but what is most important is soul-rest (spiritual rest).

1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. Psalm 62:1-2

God alone is what our souls need. He alone is our rock when we feel shaken. He alone is our refuge when we feel burdened or scared.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

When your body is failing and your heart is overwhelmed, the Psalmist rejoices in two wonderful realities: 1) God is our strength now. 2) God is our inheritance forever. God is our source of spiritual rest.

7) Jesus provides ongoing, eternal rest for our souls

9 There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest … Hebrews 4:9-11

Before this, the author of Hebrews states that Israel rebelled against God and never entered God’s eternal rest. The “Sabbath” was a physical picture of a spiritual promise: rest for our souls. Why would our souls need rest? Because we are sinners. If we are laboring to earn God’s favor in our own strength, by our own means, we will work and work and work and never find comfort or peace. In short, our souls will never find rest. Gloriously though, as Hebrews emphasizes, in Jesus all the work has been done. Three verses later it says since we have a great high priest in Jesus, we can confidently draw near the throne of God and find mercy and grace in our time of need.

This is the true Sabbath rest available for all who are in Christ, in all circumstances, at all times, in all places, no matter what you’ve done or how hard you’ve tried. There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God that allows us to spiritually rest from trying to earn God’s grace and to simply receive it by faith, now and forever.

Resting in Jesus is a vital way we glorify him

I am blessed to have three young children. Recently, they had a long bout with sickness and when your kids are sick, they are far more needy. While I was home, my daughter walked up to me (feeling miserable) and simply said, “Papa, I need you.” She then climbed up into my open arms and I held her as she rested in my arms. At that moment, I felt honored as her papa. The fact my kids come to me when they are in need honors me because they believe I can (and I want to) care for them. In a similar way, when we come to God and say, “God, I’m tired. I need you. I need to crawl into your arms and just rest right now. I need to rest in your grace in my time of need. I need you to take care of me. I rest in you …,” this glorifies God.

Resting our bodies, minds, and souls is necessary for us as limited human beings. However, when you receive that rest from God as a gift of his love, trusting in Jesus, and fixating on him, it makes Jesus look amazing and your soul will be satisfied in him. It is too easy to fixate on the things we do for Jesus rather than Jesus, himself. Choosing to rest in him is a critical weapon we use in the battle against such idolatry. God says you need rest. He offers it to you. Will you receive it in faith and rest in him?