The Rugged Face
What Does the Bible Say about the Importance of Rest?
Estimated reading time: 16 minutes
Introduction to The Importance of Rest in the Bible
Why is it that almost all adults long for “rest,” yet we have the hardest time actually partaking in it? Even if all the stars align, and we finally get a few moments to ourselves, we still tend to let our minds drift away to all of our goals or responsibilities. We refuse to see the importance of Biblical rest. Don’t you agree? Think back to the last time, that you had a quiet moment in your day. Tell me what you actually thought of? Did this quiet place seem confusing instead of calming? Did you battle with your mind darting back and forth between that bathroom remodel you need to get done, or the Walmart pick up you need to go get, or the husband’s clothes you need to iron. And if you wanted to turn the thoughts off, how many of you reach for your phone and scroll?
Trust me, I’m the one raising my hand. The only reason I know this is about you is because this is me too. Why do we do this to ourselves? The word rest sounds so appealing, yet we run from it like it’s appalling. We even think that we are working our whole lives towards some form of rest. But then when that opportunity comes our way, we assume we better keep trudging, keep striving, keep moving the needle. We believe there will come a day that we will actually feel justified in resting, but just not yet. In this post, I will give specific reasons why we tend to run from rest; I’ll give Biblical glimpses into why rest is so important, and I’ll give practical steps on how to enter into true and godly rest.
Types of Rest
Before I jump into the what’s, why’s, and how’s, I’d like to first explain the actual concept of rest. There are actually several different types of rest, and they’re all important. However, because people sometimes only focus on one or two of these types, they actually miss out on experiencing rest in the way that God really wanted them to. Some of their misconceptions or limited understanding about rest can actually prevent people from being able to value or partake in Biblical rest. Blindness to the fullness of rest can take so much away from living an abundant life. Jesus came “not just” so that we could have life, but life “more abundantly.” Rest is such a key element in this process. Yet, we have to recognize the different types in order to partake in all of them.
Each kind of rest correlates exactly with what makes up our person: body, mind, and spirit. Thus, there is a physical rest, a mental rest, and a spiritual rest. True rest includes all three of these things. However, we might not always experience all three at one time. Physical rest is designed to be something that we regularly partake in, but not all the time. Mental rest is extremely needed in order to clear and refresh one’s mind. But it too is intermittent. Spiritual rest, however, is more of a state of being, and we actually are called to stay, remain, abide in this state. Spiritual rest comes from a position that we now have in Christ because we are no longer at “odds” with God. Jesus made a way for us to be one with the Father, and in His presence, there is peace and rest.
What Makes us Struggle to Rest?
Striving to be Validated
Okay, now I’d like to jump into some of the main reasons why so many struggle to rest. The first reason comes from the need to “do” or accomplish something in order to somehow add worth to my life or to my identity. When we don’t recognize that we have been automatically given profound significance by God Himself, then we are left striving to figure out how we can accumulate our own worth by making a to-do list full of good works.
Yet the only truth about our worth lies in what Christ has already accomplished for us on the cross and in His righteousness that was graciously extended to us. He gives us value by adopting us as His own. There is nothing more we could do to make Him love us more, and there’s nothing we could “not” do to make Him love us less. God’s love is not based on our performance. All the hard work we could do in this world in our own strength, would add up to absolutely nothing.
It would be burned up in the end like wood, hay and stubble. However, when we recognize our value in Christ, then everything we do in that new identity can have distinct and lasting value for building up His indestructible kingdom. We must rest in the freedom of being fully loved and valued because of who our God is, not who we are or what we do. If we have already been declared righteous in Christ, then we can rejoice, relax, and rest. Oh the fruit that God can bear through us when we’re at rest with who we are!
Sinning
Another reason why it is difficult to enter or remain in God’s rest is because of sin. Sin is what kept us from God’s presence to begin with, and God’s presence is what brings rest. Exodus 33:14 “The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
He is a holy God, and could not be in the presence of sin. That’s why he set up the old covenant with sacrifices and burnt offerings. Yet when Jesus came, He ushered in the new covenant paying the full price for the sin that separated us from God and made peace between God and man.
Now the Father offers us complete access to all that His presence entails. Christ’s forgiveness stands firm now and forever. But when we sin and keep sinning, we are choosing to allow our old self to take over. And we must face consequences. And while there are grave consequences to all sin, the greatest one is what we miss out on the goodness found in relationship with Him.
He’s still there, but the intimacy, the power, the protection, and the rest will not be in full effect as long as we are hanging onto that sin. He doesn’t stop extending His fullness, but we stop partaking in it. Oh the Biblical rest that we could experience when we embrace the value and victory Christ gave us over sin!
Assuming Rest is Situational
The last reason I want to discuss for not living in a state of rest is because we are deceived into thinking that rest is dictated by our circumstances. This is a direct lie from the enemy, and he loves to keep people in the dark about the truth. True rest that only comes from God cannot be taken away from us unless we allow it. God’s rest is much like His joy. It is given by Him as a gift and is received by faith. If we have fully received it by faith, then it cannot be stolen.
As I said before, there are different types of rest. If we tend to focus only on physical rest, then we may start to believe that the seasons of life determine the amount of rest we get. And of course there are seasons where people do not get enough sleep.
But spiritual rest comes from the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit who never leaves nor forsake. And as we allow our spirits to govern our minds and bodies. So, if we have embraced a “state” of rest in the Lord, then we will find ways to partake in physical and mental rest as well. Our circumstances can certainly make us tired, but God’s rest goes so much deeper and is able to remain steadfast, no matter how we might “feel” at the time.
When we know Who wrote our story, we can rest in the fact that He is in control even through unpredictable or difficult situations. Rest comes from a healthy relationship with the Father, not because everything just happened to turn out right for us that day.
Rest can be an unshakable certainty for our lives when it comes from the right place. Abiding in the Vine is more than just productive and fruit bearing. It is restful. Oh the life-changing, kingdom building, intimacy growing, victory claiming, full and abundant life that comes with rest!
Why is Rest So Important?
God’s Command
So…if I’m going to dive this deep into reasons why we struggle to rest, then I most certainly need to explore the significance of Biblical rest, and why it is such an essential part of life. While everyone might agree that it is valuable, they might only consider how it benefits them physically.
Yet they may completely ignore the more important reasons found in the Bible. So what does the Bible say about rest? Well, God’s Word says in Exodus 20:8, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” How do we keep it holy? We REST!
This is one of the ten commandments, y’all! If that is not reason enough, then you might as well stop reading this blog post right here! God demonstrated for us this very important example by completing the work of creation in six days and then choosing to have a sabbath rest on the seventh. He didn’t need to rest. He’s God. He did it to give us a helpful pattern to follow.
And this was obviously not for Him to recuperate in any way, even though we certainly need that at times. But He also showed how important it was to stop and rest “so that” he could reflect on and enjoy all that He had created. The creation story would not have been a show stopper if God’s work hadn’t ended with a day of rest.
If we never take the time to pause, then we will never appreciate the present. We will either be pushing too hard towards the future, or bound up too tightly by the past. God knew that rest would give us time to refresh, reflect, and regroup.
He knew that the enemy would try to sidetrack us at every twist and turn of life. He commanded rest so that He could hold our faces towards Him and redirect us back to what truly matters.
God’s Reward
Let’s look at what else the Bible show about the importance of rest. Joshua 21:44 says, “The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands.” Judges 2:14 says, In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.” Jeremiah 24:6b-7a says, “I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.
Now, if you don’t know where I’m headed by giving all of these random verses, then here is the astounding truth I recognized from so many stories in the Old Testament between God and the people of Israel. One of God’s greatest rewards was to give His people “REST” on all sides from all enemies.
And one of the greatest punishments when God’s people turned away from Him, was to take that rest away. The Promised Land was a place of rest, and comparative to what Heaven will be for us. Yet, God also said that the kingdom of Heaven is here and now.
So we can actually partake in a heavenly type of rest, even down here on earth. And we can bring heaven to earth by showing others a better Way, an eternal way, a restful way.
God’s Way
The importance of rest seems greater than ever now, right? If God valued it enough to practice it, and if He gifted it as one of His greatest rewards, then it must be imperative for the abundant life that He has called us to live. Jesus says in Matthew 11:29 “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.”
He gives many instructions in the New Testament for a new way of living, the best way, the restful way. We are called to be set apart, for we bear His name. We are temples, chosen ones, royal priesthoods, beloved sons and daughters, the Bride of Christ, His messengers, disciples, aliens and strangers in this world.
And one of the most unique aspects of our identities and lifestyles in Christ is that we can be continually at rest in our spirits. It is something that will stand out to others who do not know true and inner peace. And it is something that others will wistfully long for when they see that it is obtainable.
To be at peace with the Savior who died to make peace with us brings a rest to my soul like nothing else. To accept a righteousness that is not my own certainly humbles me. But it also brings an extreme amount of relief and freedom.
I know that I cannot live a life of abandonment to Him unless I truly rest in the loving way that He abandoned Himself to me. This good news shows the value of rest, and this is my promised land.
How do we Improve our Rest?
So how do we go about this? Oh how I wish there was a ten step plan. Some may consider it pretty easy to rest, but others may find it very hard. Either way, I believe everyone could grow in some way in this area, whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual rest. And while, we are all still learning as we go, I have found a few tips that have really helped me on this quest to rest.
Rely
Trusting the Lord with my life is a true catalyst for rest. And then you may ask, well how do I do that? How do I trust so that I can rest? Well, I like to say that in order to trust, we must “entrust.” This seems more practical. I can trust His faithfulness by fully handing over the things I was never capable of carrying in the first place.
Biblical rest comes when I know the things I value are held in the hands of the One I value most. When I have handed things over, then I can allow Him to truly lead. Sometimes, I still struggle with entrusting my treasures to Him. But the more He becomes my ultimate treasure, the more I truly want Him to hold all the other things I treasure, like my loved ones.
And sometimes I don’t want to entrust my own life to Him because I am scared of where He might take me. And yes, God will lead me to places that will stretch and grow me in extreme ways. Yet, Psalm 23:1-3 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” Green pastures…quiet waters…the Shepherd of my soul leads me to rest! Of course there will be dark valleys, and He will go with me there too.
But He also longs to refresh my soul. My Shepherd is trustworthy because He knows what is best for me, and in that truth I can rest.
Remove
Avoiding distractions is another helpful tool to improve our rest. Sometimes, we justify all how many things we say “yes” to because they all seem good or important. And they may be. And while the world might deem this noble, the weight of these decisions will be notable.
If we say “yes” to too much, then we will find ourselves spread too thin, and we will not be able to give full commitments to each yes. We will become half-hearted even if we don’t want to be. Saying, “no” to some things actually allows us to be able to give a better yes to the things that matter more.
We must assess our lives and our hearts and allow the Lord to “remove” distractions so that we can focus on His face. In this gaze, we will not only see His beauty but we will gain His perspective. And with His eyes, we can see the true value of rest despite the endless responsibilities.
Rejoice
The last tip is to celebrate!!! Even the little things are worth pausing and appreciating. When we celebrate, we are actually stamping value on a moment, a person, an accomplishment, a feeling. There’s a big difference between just “seeing” the good and “celebrating” it.
But I will say that if we stop celebrating it, the odds are that we will stop seeing it as well. Celebrating the good takes it from a level of seeing and acknowledging to expanding its goodness. A show of gratitude will grow the magnitude of that which is good!
And resting is one of the sweet ways that we can celebrate. As God rested on the seventh day of creation, he was for sure celebrating the beauty He had brought to life. He showed us how to rest, and that was to “stop and celebrate.” We may think that celebrations always have to be a big party with elaborate planning. And sometimes…it really should be.
But every now and then, a soft thankful whisper is the best kind of celebration and it is like music to God’s ears. Resting in His goodness brings an awareness of blessing that elevates gratitude, which in turn improves our quality of rest. It is not a vicious but rather a vivacious cycle that brings glory to His name.
Conclusion to The Importance of Rest in the Bible
Rest is complex yet simple. It’s sometimes ignored yet utterly important. And most importantly, it is a key ingredient to the life story that God has written for each and every one of you. It is my shear hope that as we have unpacked the beauty of rest, that you have begun to evaluate for yourselves just where you are at on this journey.
I pray you can be encouraged to know that you are not alone in your struggle to rest and to remain at rest. I hope you can see the value of rest in ways that you might have never seen before. And I long for you to join me in entrusting your life to Him, in saying “no” to endless distractions, and in celebrating God’s goodness every day.
Now close your eyes, take some deep breaths, and picture your Father holding your hand as you walk quietly together in perfect peace by quiet waters. Lord, help us to choose REST every day, and to leave the rest to You.
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About the Author
Celeste Claborn
Hi! I’m Celeste! I am a mother, a wife, and a writer! I have the joy of raising 5 kids, one of which is my husband, John. When we’re not writing, we enjoy the great outdoors, traveling or playing outside with the neighbors. I hope you find joy in my writing, as well as impactful articles that lead you closer to freedom and adventure in Jesus.
