The Value of Rest
The early parts of the biblical book of Genesis tell the story of God’s creation of the world and everything in it. As an ordained pastor I would often lean on these early verses to encourage a couple preparing for marriage. The institution of marriage is one of the earliest things God gives his crowning creation, man and woman. There is a virtue, a practice, given to that creation about the same time that is vital to the success and health of every person. That is the virtue of sabbath, or rest. Let’s take a look at Genesis:
Genesis 2:1-3
So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
New Living Translation (NLT)
God rested on the seventh day of His creative work. He stopped. He ceased the creative action. God knew when to stop and rest. The concept of rest flows throughout Scripture and reminds the people of God of their need to trust in Him rather than themselves. The virtue of rest is so important to God that the first few chapters of Genesis form a chiasm, which is a literary structure that uses repetition to create a main idea at the center of the structure. God’s day of rest sits at the center of these first few chapters. Rest is of vital importance to God and to us!
How important? Well let’s look at the theme of rest through Scripture:
Exodus 20:8ff – God commands His people to remember the practice of Sabbath – i.e. rest.
Psalm 46:11 – Be still, or in another translation, cease striving. God calls His people to take intentional times to cease, to rest, from our labors and trust Him.
Matthew 11:28 – Jesus calls people to Himself because He will give them rest.
Hebrews 4:9-11 – There remains for God’s people a “Sabbath rest” that is worth pursuing in our spiritual life.
Rest is a vital virtue in the economy of God’s plan. Why do people struggle so much to value it the way that God does? That is an endless list, but it all comes back to trust. The failure to trust God’s plan and be a part of his story most often reveals itself in the failure to practice rest. The consequences of this failure are replete in the world today. There is burnout, worry, anxiety, lack of balance, ruined relationships, and so much more. The mental and physical toll of not practicing Sabbath is far more taxing than the IRS!
The good news is that the practice of Sabbath can be learned. Like so many habits it requires intentional effort at the beginning while it is becoming a skill. Start small with short breaks that are intentionally void of distractions – like a cell phone and social media. Make a commitment to practice Sabbath four hours each week at the beginning. If four hours feels daunting then shorten it to an hour, or even 30 minutes. The point is to dedicate a time to being still, to being in a state of rest. It doesn’t have to be on Sunday either. It can be anytime of the week. In Mark 2 Jesus teaches that the practice of Sabbath is a gift of God to people, rather than a burden that has to be kept, or maintained, so that God would stay happy. Sabbath rest is vital to a person’s soul health. God knew when to stop and rest. So should His people.