Day 7: Rest in the Lord
In Genesis chapter 1 we see one of the most incomprehensible narratives in all scripture. In this chapter we see the story of our creation, everything we have come to discover, understand, and enjoy. On top of that, all the mysteries of the universe that we can't even come close to discovering, due to our fallen nature, were created in the narrative told in the 1st chapter of the Bible. Introduced by the words, “In the beginning God,” we are given the explanation of the inception of our existence, and a glimpse of the omnipotence of our Creator. Genesis 2 starts with an interesting paragraph, and that's where we are going to begin our journey today.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 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.3 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.
As we continue to read through Genesis and all through the rest of scripture, we begin to fully understand the omnipotence, omnipresence, and the omniscience of this creator. And then through the fullness of scripture and the revelations therein, we come to understand the triune nature of our God. His power and His Majesty cannot be overstated and yet on the 7th day He rested. Later in scripture when God is handing out the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai, and He commands us to do the same.
Exodus 20: 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
Now as a side note, not wanting to get off track and in the weeds, the Christian church celebrates the Sabbath on Sunday because it’s the Day that Jesus rose from the dead and the first day of the week, but this devotional isn’t necessarily about honoring the Sabbath, but many of us would agree we should. No, this devotional is about the importance of our rest. If God took the time to rest, don’t you think it is a good thing for us to do?
In our day and age, we do not rest well. You have some people who cannot sit still and must be doing something every waking hour. You have others who might lay around a lot, but their minds are never still because it’s inundated with entertainment and the noise of this world. Very few take the time to renew their mind, body, and soul by resting in the Lord. Don’t get me wrong, we better work our tails off in this life, but we should also make sure we rest well.
If we are going to have strong roots and bear abundant fruit in our lives, the work and the rest go hand in hand. There are a few aspects of rest I would like to bring to your attention. First, as we’ve already discussed, there’s Sabbath rest. Second, there is spiritual rest. Finally, there is physical rest, and yes, it is a little different than Sabbath rest.
Sabbath rest is a rest that is commanded. In our scriptures already mentioned, God has commanded His people to set apart the Sabbath day as a day to rest and to worship. Now, some doctrines and churches have gotten WAY overbearing with their sabbath rules just like the Jews had. I see it like this; Sundays are our scheduled Sabbath. We set it apart to worship and fellowship with God and honor Him. Afternoon naps are always a good idea, but not mandatory. The intentionality of setting apart the day to honor, worship, and rest is the expectation. Sometimes it can’t be Sunday. In fact, for me it NEVER is. Sunday is a workday for all pastors and that’s awesome! We just have to be intentional about having another day set aside for rest. So, if your schedule makes you work on Sundays, then make sure you set apart another day of your week to worship and rest.
Spiritual rest is something that we absolutely need throughout our lives. Dealing with all our emotional and physical trials of this life will absolutely drain your battery, much like we talked about yesterday with our living water. Jesus says this:
Matthew 11: 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Does that mean that we won’t labor and work? No, but it means that we can have rest for our souls from the radiance of our relationship with Jesus. Christian theologian Thomas Aquinas said this: “Rest is not idleness; it is the quietness of the soul that contemplates the Glory of God.” When we are focusing on God in our souls and our minds, we can have peace and a rest in our spirits.
Finally, the most practical of rests, physical rest. We must work hard in life, as I have already mentioned. Just look at these two scriptures from Paul:
Colossians 3: 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
2 Thessalonians 3: 6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.
I unequivocally believe in hard work. I also live and die by the quality of my rest. When I was at a recruiting seminar at Ohio State while coaching OCU Baseball, they had this random session where it wasn’t about recruiting, but how to help the players you already have perform at their best. This Doctor came in and talked about what seemed like one hundred studies that showed the lack of rest and sleep will eventually be a death sentence to even the best athletes. She scared me to death, but the message was loud and clear. If I wanted to be my best, if I wanted my men to be their best, then healthy sleep patterns and rest were vital to that goal. But more than that, if I wanted to live well in my later years on this rock, I needed to rest better.
It is easy to shake off the feeling of being tired. There’s any energy drink you could ever want, coffee flows almost every square inch of the workplace, and if that doesn’t work, we just crank the music. All the while we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. That’s not fair to our employers, it’s not fair to our families, it’s not fair to ourselves, but most importantly it’s not fair to our Creator. I challenge you over the next two weeks of this fast to make sure we are resting in the Lord. Lean into His guidance on this. Like Psalm 23 so wonderfully says, He will make you lie down green pastures and restore your soul.