God created us to rest. The Lord set the example for us when He rested on the seventh day. The Scripture says, “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:3, NKJ). Your body was designed by God to function best when you rest. In fact, Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, was so convicted by the need for his workers to be off one day for rest, family, and worship that he closed all his restaurants on Sunday. He said he didn’t mind the potential loss of profit because he could sell more food in six days than his competitors could sell in seven. Given the lines at his restaurants, I think he is right. And he is absolutely right on the need for people to rest. Jesus illustrated the need to rest when He lived on the earth. He said to His disciples, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31, NLT). The demands of ministry were pressing, and the disciples were showing signs of wear. The Lord knew that our bodies were designed to rest and provided that time for Him and His disciples.
Spiritual rest is also needed. You and I need time to quiet our souls as much as our bodies. This could be part of what it means in Psalms 23 when David says of God, “He restores my soul.” Jesus understood the busyness of life and the demands of the world. He knew the struggles of the heart and the stress of the mind. He once said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29, NLT). Is your soul burdened today? Are you anxious in heart or mind?
There is always work to do – always. A certain family befriended Jesus, and He often stayed in their home. One day during a visit one of the sisters, Martha, busily prepared food and cleaned the house, trying to be a good host for the Master. The other sister, Mary, sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to Him teach. Martha became irritated with Mary’s lack of help and asked Jesus to scold her for her laziness. Jesus responded, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42, NKJ).
We all need to withdraw from our busy schedules on a daily basis to pray, read the Bible and simply commune with the Lord Jesus. We also need to honor the Lord’s Day and come together for worship. Pause. Breathe. Pray. Praise. Rest.