An Invitation to Rest

Pause:

Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus. 

Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the Scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.

Read:

Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.”

Matthew 11:28-30: “28 ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’”

Going Deeper:

It may seem counterintuitive to think about rest during this pandemic. Some of us continue in our regular work, although now maybe it’s from home. Some of us may even be experiencing greater pressures and responsibilities, like kids at home, and have less time than ever. Many of us, however, have more time than we had before, and yet we feel less rested.

What does true rest look like, in a pandemic or otherwise? While Jesus has already fulfilled the Law in the Old Testament, like the Ten Commandments, on our behalf—God has still revealed valuable aspects of his heart via his Scriptures. When talking about rest, he commanded the people of Israel to take a Sabbath: “You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:9). He commands his people to take an entire day and do no work, in order to remind them that they are not self-sufficient, that worshipping God is more valuable than any productivity, and that he is powerful to provide for them even when they don’t work. The same principles apply today—resting from our work in order to worship God is a powerful statement about God’s value above our work. 

However, today, Jesus hasn’t given us specific dates, times, or regulations about our Sabbaths. Instead, as “the Lord of the Sabbath,” Jesus himself is our true Sabbath rest. He declares to us: “28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jesus gives us rest from trying to earn God’s love and favor through our works: “For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:10). Jesus gives us rest from fear and anxiety about death. Jesus gives us rest from the burden of trying to be the savior, whether of ourselves or of the whole world.

And “we who have believed enter the rest”! (Hebrews 4:3). At any moment we can turn to Jesus, breathe a deep breath, and taste his rest. We can praise him for bearing our burdens, and for his works that earned our perfect relationship with God.

While we rest from our works and rest in Jesus, let us also ask Jesus what he would have for us during this time. For some of us, following Jesus means devoting some time this week to rest from our work in order to declare God’s power over our work, even when we’re stretched and afraid. For others, maybe the first part of the Sabbath command, “you are to labor six days,” is more relevant! Whether or not you are walking into your office these days, God has given us work for our good, to serve others, and to benefit the world. What good work may he have for you during this week, even if it’s unconventional?

Pray:

Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to you from this passage this morning.

Listen:

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this morning?

Apply:

What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?