Real Rest

You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord… Exodus 35:2 (NLT)

I am lucky to have had jobs that are Monday to Friday. As a result, I always look forward to Sundays. Apart from attending church meetings, it’s a day I hardly ever pack with activities. It’s a day I like to completely kick back, rest, refresh, and recharge in readiness for the next working week.

God set the perfect example for us to follow when it comes to resting from work. “…For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” Exodus 31:17 (NKJV).

In this week’s scripture, Moses gathered all the people together for the project of building the tabernacle. The building of the tabernacle was going to be a significant development in the relationship between the people and God. As the Israelites had no dedicated place of worship, I suspect they were all excited and willing to contribute to the building project.

Was God exhausted and therefore needing to rest on the seventh day? I don’t believe so. I believe He was thinking of man when He rested on the seventh day. The Sabbath was made for man. It is a gift from God to man.

God’s idea of rest is different from the world’s idea. We live in such a busy, geared up, fast paced society that doing nothing for a day seems like a total waste of a day. Our minds have been so conditioned to be busy with constant work that the concept of doing nothing for a whole day seems ludicrous.  

What is your idea of real rest? I know some people who take their work laptops with them on vacation. Why? It’s called vacation for a reason; so that you can simply vacate work! We have six days to work, the seventh day is for real and complete rest!

Taking a rest from work is not just about taking a break from physical work. It also involves switching off mentally. I have had occasions in the past when on holiday, I find myself thinking about work—sad, isn’t it? I will be thinking about how to complete a report, sometimes worried about the number of emails and tasks that will be awaiting me on my return.

Whenever I’m tempted to worry about work while resting or on vacation, I remember Psalms 55:22 (NLT). It says, “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”

When we say we are resting or on vacation, we should learn to disengage from work. I know some will say it’s dedication and diligence. Some will even find scriptures to back up their busyness!

God is very serious about man observing a day of rest that He made it one of the ten commandments. We need to learn to relax more, to just kick back without feeling guilty about it. If we observe real rest days, we will be much healthier mentally.

When we take time off from work, how exactly do we ensure we are rested and refreshed? This will be different for everyone. Are you the one who cannot help but work?

Due to different work patterns, your seventh day of rest may not necessarily be on a Saturday or a Sunday. Whichever day your sabbath falls into, remember that God has already blessed the day so make sure you observe a real rest day.

Stay blessed,

Alex