How God Reminds Us to Rest and Recover
“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.” —(Genesis 2:3)
We’re all well aware of the story of creation, where God brought together our beautiful Earth in just seven days.
As one of the most important and widespread stories of our faith, we often hold admiration and gratitude to the Lord for his ability to build our planet from nothing- in such a short span of time.
But today, while we honor His glory for all that hard work, we forget that seventh day that he blessed Himself and us with; the day of rest, or the Sabbath. In our modern world, the virtue that is praised the most is the ability to work hard, to bring in money or purchase expensive worldly goods. While the system we live under requires us to work, in order to survive and pay for basic necessities, we forget that it can’t just be all work and no play- especially if that work cancels out important time we could be spending with God.
While the Sabbath has many religious implications, we can also view it as God’s reminder to us that rest is a natural part of life. We can’t be expected to remain constantly productive- and if we do, we are very likely to end up exhausted and burnt out.
Setting aside time to take a break can look very different for every individual—some might want to rest in bed, others may hit the gym or practice a hobby. But the act of taking time for yourself is far from selfish; it ensures that you can perform at your best, being well-rested and recovered.
While some tie the Sabbath to a particular day of the week, which is based on denominations and personal beliefs, the exact day it falls on doesn’t have to be important (unless it is a part of your faith).
The most crucial thing is that you’re taking time both for yourself and to strengthen your relationship with God!
Setting aside some time for prayer, worship or Bible studies every week or every couple of days shows your commitment to God and your faith. More than that though, it will help you really connect with the Lord and find more peace within yourself, as you reflect on what you learn from God, Jesus and the Bible.
Apart from planning time to be with God, we should also plan to allow ourselves a period of relaxation and a break from productivity or work. This honors the Lord’s decision to take that seventh day for rest and honors His request for us to do the same.
It also takes some self-respect to tell others and yourself that you don’t plan on being productive all the time, which offers an opportunity to assert yourself and your boundaries in terms of the time you are willing to spend on work.
God making the seventh day a holy day of rest sends us a message—if the all-powerful creator of our world needs time to breathe, we definitely do too. We shouldn’t put so much pressure on ourselves to perform, and rather focus on the love and healing we can receive from spending time with our Lord.
So, going into your next work week or busy day, make sure you set some time aside; whether you take a full day, or you can only afford twenty minutes, and just be with God.
Ask him for guidance and understanding through prayer, read your Bible, or listen to worship music. Not only are you taking valuable time to rest, but you’re using it to expand on your faith, and will undoubtedly be ready to take on your next task with newfound energy from the Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for allowing and encouraging us to take a break and rest our minds and bodies. Thank you for our beautiful world, which you created out of love for us.
Father, the next time I feel overwhelmed or burnt out, remind me that it is okay to take time for recovery. Remind me that rest is a part of life, and a way for us to connect with you.
Amen.
#rest #sabbath #prayer #devotion #worship