Rhythms of Rest: Time Away
June 7, 2019
We live in an Age of Information. It’s been well established that we can access answers to our questions at a moment’s notice. However, over the past decade, we’ve not only been given wide access to information, we can now even receive compliance to our heart’s content. “Hey, Siri. What’s the weather like today?” “Okay, Google. Play my favorite music.” “Alexa, turn down the lights.”
Most of us keep fairly busy schedules. As we progress from one project to the next, one report to another, one business meeting after another, don’t we all long for downtime—time away from our work?
Just as we’re designed to work and enjoy our employment, we’re designed for rest—real rest that looks like breaking from our normal routines. This is the kind of rest that doesn’t come naturally to many of us, including myself. But we all know that we’re made to cycle throughout our weeks between laboring and being restored, between exertion and relaxation.
We may entertain the idea of being diligent in our work, but have you ever thought about being diligent in your rest? Would you agree that protecting your time, your health, and your resources requires intentionality, thoughtfulness, and even planning?
Scripture speaks to this rhythm of work and rest. The Fourth Commandment given to us as God’s people is this: “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work…” (Deut 5:12–15).
God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, thus establishing a natural order of work and rest for us, his creatures, to enjoy. When we live in sync with this rhythm, we cultivate a spirit of obedience. We work in our obedience to God to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth and fill it (Gen 1:28). We also cultivate a spirit of faith, though. As we rest, we trust God to provide our needs, even when it means putting aside our best efforts. Yes, we operate with wisdom, planning ahead for a complete day of rest from our labors, but we agree in simple faith with the Lord that he is sovereign and that he does indeed care for us and every last one of our needs.
More so, when we rest as Christians, we are exercising faith in Christ specifically. As we rest on Sundays, we come to church with hearts, minds, and souls that are hungry for him, ready to be fed and filled by the Word, the Sacraments (baptism and communion), and the fellowship and prayers of God’s people as we encourage one another. As we rest, we see Jesus as the Lord of the Sabbath—the one who not only created rest for our good, but is himself our Rest (Matt 12:8). We see afresh his invitation to come to him, all of us who labor and are heavy-laden, because he will give us rest for our souls (Matt 11:28).
Do you find yourself feeling tired spiritually, physically, mentally? Perhaps breaking away from your normal routine would be especially helpful to you. Vacation. Relaxation. Restoration. These are things that we ourselves need to live healthy lives. So, knowing that the Word of God speaks into every facet of our lives, let us find our rest in Christ as we seek to trust and obey his commands.
