Rest Is God’s Gift

I never thought rest was a gift.

After over a decade of trauma, my mind was constantly running. Anxiety gripped my heart, and fear filled my mind like an overflowing coffee cup. There was always another task to complete, a devotional to write, or a habit I needed to implement to live my best life.

Resting was the eleventh plague. Based on everyone’s actions around me, they thought so, too. Who has time to rest?

Exodus 20:8-11 is perhaps the commandment broken most often in our generation: “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Why? Because each week, “You have six days for your ordinary work” (Exodus 20:9), and for most of us, eight hours a day barely makes a dent in our to-do list.

Without a thought, we toss the rest of this passage like an optional piece of candy: “But the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day, no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you” (Exodus 20:10).

“Who needs Sabbath?” we ask ourselves. “This is the 21st century!”—but maybe those who ignore this command need it most (myself included).

While Sabbath observance originated in the Old Testament and may look very different for us today, it’s an essential part of rest that God has planned for our lives. How do I know?

In Genesis 20:11, we learn that God Himself rested on the seventh day: “For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

If you read Isaiah 40:28, this might sound contradictory: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” However, God and his Word never contradict themselves (2 Timothy 2:13) – which means one powerful thing: Rest is for us.

As counter-cultural as it might seem, rest is a choice. Every day, we make a million choices: what to eat for breakfast, when to work, and how to make our home look like the ones on Pinterest. Why can’t one of those choices be the deep-sought-after rest we all need? We make time for important things, and if we want to rest well the way God intended, it must become a priority.

What does this look like, practically?

Rest can look different depending on who you are and what season you’re in. It also doesn’t have to be on one singular day, but can be built into your week. What’s important is that rest is holy and created for us because God knew we needed it. It was never meant to restrain us, but to prevent things like burnout or overproductivity. Rest was made for our good and God’s glory.

If you need a mental reset, try walking without your phone. Meditate on your surroundings and take in God’s beautiful creation.

If you need a spiritual reset, try changing your quiet time. If you usually follow a Bible plan and journal, try meditating on some verses, listening to worship music, or playing a new sermon you’ve wanted to hear.

If you need an emotional reset, write your feelings in a journal. As you pen your words, write them as a prayer. There’s strength in pouring out your heart to God (Psalm 62:8).

If you need a physical reset, try 4-4-8 breath prayers. With your eyes closed, inhale through your nose for four seconds while mentally reciting the first part of a Scripture such as (Psalm 94:19): “When anxiety was great within me”. Then, hold that breath for four seconds. In the next eight seconds, exhale through your mouth while mentally reciting the second part of that Scripture: “Your consolation brought me joy.”

Dear God, rest doesn’t come easily for me. In a hustle culture that identifies worth by productivity, the temptation to do more is constant. As we approach a new season, remind me that something more beautiful is available. Thank you for seeing me in these struggles and loving me enough to give me something as sweet and holy as rest. Amen.

Throughout this day: Which type of exhaustion (spiritual, physical, mental, or emotional) do you struggle with? What’s one way you can implement rest into your daily routine? Journal these thoughts and remember that rest is a gift God created for you.