Sweet Rest

By Laurie Ness

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work."  Genesis 2:2

That verse seems so utterly basic--one that we've all heard numerous times.  I hesitated to even begin with it, picturing yawns and possibly even rolling of eyes.  Let me assure you, though, this is not about debating over whether or not we as Christ-followers should be keeping the Sabbath, so to speak.  We'll save that argument for people who enjoy, well . . . arguing!

So, nope.  This last devotional post before summer break is not necessarily about the Sabbath, pro or con.  It's about rest! *(see boldfaced note, bottom of article)

Photo by Kay Hartman

Did God rest because He was tired?  Since we know He is all-powerful, that His power is never lessened with the use of it, we would have to conclude that, no, He was not tired.  What purpose, then, would He have in taking a day off and then making a big deal of making sure we know about it?

My theory, which my wise husband supports, is that He did it as an example to us.  He never grows weary, but we sure do!  Think of how you feel after a period of true rest.  It's refreshing and causes us to feel ready for the next round of business at hand.

I find it ironic to be writing this after a couple of nights of not being able to sleep until the wee hours of the morning.  Yes, our physical bodies need rest, but so do our minds and spirits.  In fact, many times we need to get our minds under control before our bodies will follow.  Isn't that true of almost anything?

One of the Bible passages that most touches my heart is when Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

That rest He offers sounds so very inviting, doesn't it?  Jesus is always inviting, ever wooing us, always a perfect gentleman.  He invites us to leave our burdens at His feet, but leaves the decision to us.  Why are we so stubborn in holding on to our vices, our fears, our busyness, bitterness and strife?  What do we gain from these?  Why do we resist rest of all kinds, though we somehow still desire it and know its benefits?

There is so much we need respite from.  Our bodies need rest.  Our minds need rest.  Our spirits need refreshment.  I urge you (and I'm speaking to myself here, too!) to spend time in true rest as time allows the next few months.  Maybe even in silence from time to time?  It's a lot to ask in this day and age, but we can make it happen!  I "dare" all of us to regularly read and silently think over (or meditate on, if you will) Scripture passages from God's Word, the Holy Bible.  What might happen?  Could it be bad?  No way!  Difficult, perhaps, but also very, very good.

Rest, dear ones.


Now, because it's Mother's Day weekend, and because I love my mom, I'm honoring her request to link you up to a post I wrote on my personal blog this week, about the subject of worry.  I was kind of just writing it because my heart was bursting with the words, and I absolutely needed to get them out and sort through my thoughts.  Apparently, though, God had more in mind for this little post, based on comments and messages I have received concerning it.  The topic actually goes along with our subject of Rest, in a way.  If you relate with being a worrier, click here. :)



*Just for the record, I am not against keeping the Sabbath.  I simply chose to refrain from revealing my opinion on this subject since the Sabbath is not the focus of this particular article, and the intent is only to encourage women and young ladies to take time to rest. :)