You and I live in a world that is trapped in a cycle of endless busyness. Everyone around us is constantly working, worrying, stressing, and fighting to achieve success that is fleeting at best. Mental health is becoming an increasingly prevalent concern as people burn themselves out from constant work and hyper-connected lifestyles. Contrary to popular culture, though, in today’s modern age of overachievers, what people need more than ever isn’t new technology tools, productivity strategies, or even money: it’s rest. The problem is, so many people in our world today don’t know how to rest anymore, being too busy and overworked to think that they even have time to slow down for a minute. That’s why, in the Bible, Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Over two thousand years ago, Jesus recognized that not only would humanity need rest now more than ever, but that we would also be increasingly incapable of resting.
The Bible clarifies the unique kind of rest Jesus is talking about in Philippians 4:7 when it says, “be anxious for nothing, but in everything …let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Jesus expounds on this thought in John 14:27, saying that the peace accompanying His rest is completely different than that which the world seeks after. You see, many people think that they’ll finally be able to rest or be at peace with their lives when everything is under control – when they’re financially independent, own their own home, or get married. People like this spend their lives working hard to control everything but never truly find peace. That’s because, ultimately, our lives are never completely under our control. Something can always go wrong: that’s just a part of life.
The peace that Jesus offers, though, is completely different – it’s really the only answer to this world’s constant busyness. His rest is all about having the assurance that God is in control of your life, and that you are not. And while it might seem counterintuitive, the knowledge that God is running your life and you aren’t is actually really freeing. It means that you can stop worrying about tomorrow and start enjoying the blessings of today: you can stop working harder and start trusting. After all, it’s not hard to be at peace when you have the infinite, all-powerful, and all-knowing God watching over you. It’s this trusting in God and experiencing His peace that the Bible calls faith.
You see, in the Bible, rest and faith go together like synonyms. When you have faith in God to protect you, you can lie down in peace and sleep; for then your safety is in His hands (Psalm 4:8). When you trust Him to provide for you, you are freed from stressing about the future, because God knows best what you need, and is able to “supply all your need” (Philippians 4:19). When you trust God’s saving grace, you no longer have to worry about appeasing Him, you can just enjoy life obeying Him. That’s because faith in God is all about ceasing to labour in your own strength so you can rest in His strength, trusting Him to do what He’s promised. Let me be clear, this rest isn’t lazing around waiting for God to do everything for you; it’s an active cooperation with God to do something that’s otherwise impossible for you: invigorating because it’s done in His strength, restful because yours isn’t needed.
It’s this kind of active rest that Jesus desires every person to experience all the time. However, we as humans are notoriously forgetful of God’s love and often try to manage our lives in our own strength. That’s why God established the Sabbath at creation, to remind humanity that rest can only come through trust in His infinite power. You see, when God first created this world, Adam and Eve (the first humans) didn’t even get to witness God’s work of creation, let alone participate in it. They simply woke up to life in a complete and beautiful world and were given dominion over that world by God. Despite the fact that they couldn’t take any credit for the beautiful world around them, they were the recipients of God’s biggest blessings. On their first full day of life, God chose to sanctify, or set apart the seventh day of creation week to rest and spend time with them to show them that a relationship with Him was not the result of any work they could do. Completely apart from their strength, God had created the world, and they could spend quality time with Him every week on the Sabbath only because they trusted His power and love for them.
The Sabbath is a memorial of God’s creation of our world, sacred time set aside for us to spend with Him. As such, it cannot be changed or moved, just like someone’s birthday or anniversary cannot be changed to a different day. There is no record in the Bible of the Sabbath being changed or repealed, and even today, thousands of years after the creation of our world, the Sabbath is still a reminder to us of our complete reliance on God for everything, and of God’s completely unmerited gift of rest. Nothing we could have done in our own strength could have created the earth, yet we live and breathe on a beautiful planet today solely because of God’s love. Additionally, there is nothing we could have ever done to merit the gift God gave thousands of years later – Jesus Christ to save us from our sins – and yet we have the opportunity of re-creation today because of, once again, God’s love. The rest the Sabbath gives us is a preview of eternity spent with God – forever obeying Him but never tiring out, always resting in His strength yet eternally invigorated by communion with Him (Isaiah 66:23).
God desires for all His children to enter His rest each Sabbath and to be blessed through communion with Him. The Sabbath is holy time, set apart by God to be a blessing to His people. He says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God.” (Exodus 20:8-10) He’s set apart this day as a reminder to you that His power has both created and saved you, and He calls you faithfully obey His commandments as a sign to all the world that rest doesn’t come from working in your own strength, it is God’s loving gift to all who trust Him.
Why don’t you go to God now, Friend, and give God your burdens and cares so you can accept His offer of rest?