The Power of Rest

When I was a little girl, my grandma would ALWAYS make me take a nap. It didn’t matter what we were doing or who was visiting, she was relentless in making me “rest” in the afternoon. Not surprising, I resisted. I protested. I even tried faking it.

She never bought it. And, I never got out of taking my nap, which eventually left me gloriously refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day. 

My grandma was in good company in commanding me to rest. God has been commanding the same of his people since the very beginning of creation. Genesis 2 tells us that on the seventh day God finished his work of creating the world and rested. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. 

As an adult, I am no less rebellious with God about this command than I was as a small child with my grandmother. I still try to resist God’s plan for my life and do it my way. I try to explain to God how busy I am and how much I have to get done. I want him to understand how important my life is how unfathomable it would be to set aside a day solely for worship and rest - which is His original design for the Sabbath. 

Then God reminds me:

• The Sabbath was created for us; not for God. God didn’t need to rest on the seventh day, but we do. There’s no shame in this - God made us to NEED rest. 

• The Sabbath was made for our celebration - to remind us that we are not slaves to our jobs, our children or our homes. Thoughtful worship time helps us remember that we are free from the bounds of these earthly constructs because our true identity is in Him.

• Not observing the Sabbath demonstrates my lack of faith in God’s perfect design for my life. Setting aside a chunk of time each week for rest and worship means I am trusting God’s plan for my time and honoring it as holy - even when it’s difficult for me to do.

If ever there is an area of my spiritual life that remains a constant struggle, this is it! Yet I know God wants better for me. He wants me rest, worship and trust.