A Man of Rest: Entering into the Divine Rhythm of Rest
Rest. Something we desire … when we have time for it. But do you ever intentionally seek it, beyond those times when you are completely exhausted? It is often an afterthought in my life. Interestingly, I think the Creator of the universe understands and treats this topic quite differently.
From the very beginning, God incorporated rest as part of His plan, in the very seven days of creation. Genesis 2:2-3 says, “By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation.” God rested from His work on the seventh day, blessed it, and even declared it holy!! Do you think this idea of rest may be important? Let’s continue….
What about the ten (10) commandments? Have you ever noticed that the first four (4) are about how we treat God and the last six (6) are about how we treat man? Or maybe it’s 3 for God and 7 for man, as you will soon see. Interestingly, the 4th commandment states: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. You are to labor six days and do all your work, 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 slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 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 (Exodus 20:8-11). Exodus 23:12 continues to say, “Do your work for six days but rest on the seventh day.”
So, you see, not only is this concept of rest modeled for man in the 7 days of the week, but also for the land every 7th year – the year of the Shemita. Without going into too many details…Exodus 23:10 says, “Sow your land for six years and gather its produce. But during the seventh year you are to let it rest and leave it uncultivated… See also Lev 25:1-13.
Reading this might cause one to think that we honor this concept of “rest” because God created it, honors it and blesses it, which is right and true. But if we continue to search, we find more. Jesus elucidates, as He so often does, the Father’s concept of rest. In Mark 2:27, Jesus taught, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath was made for man? Really? Furthermore, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30. There is much to study and understand in this passage, but even with a surface-level reading one can see that Jesus understood “rest” to be an important issue.
“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
As we humans are made up of spirit, soul (mind, will, emotions), and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23), let’s address these with respect to rest. Looking at solely the soul and body, it is interesting that science has discovered many negative effects from sleep deprivation. A recent article from May 29, 2024 in the “Living Healthy” section of the Cleveland Clinic website lists the following (13 Effects of Sleep Deprivation (clevelandclinic.org)): Lack of alertness; memory problems; Moodiness and agitation; an inability or unwillingness to participate in normal daily activities; fatigue and a lack of energy; poor balance and coordination; increase in likeliness of a mood disorder, such as depression and anxiety; possible increased risk of dementia (during sleep, our body can remove toxins that accumulate while we are awake); changes in appearance – dark circles around your eyes, drooping eyelids, pale skin, red eyes, swollen/puffy eyes; a weakening of the immune system – more illnesses; weight gain; higher stress levels; increase risk of car accidents; increase risk of cardiovascular disease – hypertension, arrhythmias; increase risk of Type 2 Diabetes; affects the endocrine system; In kids and teens – behavior problems, impaired learning, poor concentration, decreased school performance.
The average teenager needs 8-10 hours of sleep. The average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep. The average adult over 65 years of age needs 7- 8 hours of sleep. Many things, such as snoring, alcohol, and “screen time” before bed, can affect your ability to get the right amount and kind of sleep. Are you getting enough sleep… in quality and quantity? An article from the Cleveland Clinic, written Sept 25, 2023, unpacks 7 tips for sleep hygiene including (health-essentials.pages.dev)): Keep consistent sleep and awake times; start winding down an hour before bedtime; make your room comfortable (includes reduced screen time, cool temperatures); cutting out bedtime drinking and snacking (reduce reflux); calming your mind (and spirit I would add! – see below); avoiding exercise before bed;
So, the importance of rest for our soul (mind, will, emotions) and body is obvious. But what about in our spiritual lives? If the enemy is the father of lies (John 8:44), a masquerader of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), then might he use your poor rest/sleeping habits against you? Or better yet, speak to you in ways that keep you from getting adequate rest/sleep? Understanding the negative consequences of inadequate rest, it is easy to see how disrupted rest provides the enemy with an easier pathway to fill you with negative or untrue thoughts, emotions, perceptions, etc, ultimately causing you to struggle in your true identity, and/or Godly purpose; and backsliding in your faith. How do we combat this?
What might it mean to take up Jesus’ yoke?
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus urged us “to take up His yoke and learn from Him”. What might it mean to take up Jesus’ yoke? We will look at four ways:
1) Retreating to be alone with God:
Often during Jesus’s ministry, we read in the Gospels that He would slip away to make time to be alone with His Father, to pray and commune with Him. Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” I would encourage you to start your day, prepared by a good night’s rest, with the Lord in worship, in the Word (reading the Bible), and in prayer. If we are to take up His yoke, then let’s start the day like Jesus. I believe it to be foundational. Do you have a solitary place to spend time with God?
2) Engaging in things of God, not the world:
This can be very difficult in today’s fast paced world that has access to you in so many ways. Emulate Jesus. Jesus said the following: John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” And John 4 :34 “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” Jesus came to do the Father’s will. He compared it with food, the very thing that sustains us in this earthly realm-doing the Father’s will is mission critical! Jesus laid down His will for His Father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane. (See Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-36) Are you seeking the Father’s will for your life?
What about in our daily lives? Where should our minds focus? In Colossians 3:5-10 Paul tells us to not dwell on things of the world, while in Colossians 3:12-23 he tells us what Godly things to “put on”. Similarly, in Philippians 4:8-9 he says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
3) Surrendering our anxieties to the Lord:
In 1 Peter 5:6-11, God’s Word exhorts us to humble ourselves under His mighty hand, to cast our anxieties on Him, to be alert and sober of mind (which, as we have seen, is better done with adequate rest), to watch for and resist the enemy, and to stand firm in our faith (which requires energy - improved by rest). If we do, God Himself will restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast. Similarly, in Philippians 4:6-7, we are instructed to not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and petition to God, and with thanksgiving, present our requests to the Abba Father and He will grant us His peace. Perhaps when you enter a time of rest, surrender your concerns to the Lord in prayer and give thanks for what He has already done, what He is doing, and what He is going to do … in you, through you, for you, and around you. He promises His peace when we do. When you begin to understand that you can truly relinquish and surrender the cares, worries, and concerns of this world to the Father who created all things (including you), to the One who knows the end from the beginning, to the One who promises you everlasting life, to the One who loves you immensely, and to the One who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, might the yoke that has been placed upon you become easier and the burdens lighter?
4) Training in Spiritual Warfare:
In Ephesians 6:10-20, the Word tells us who our battle is against and, importantly, who it is not. It unfolds for us the full armor of God, including helmet, breast plate, belt, shoes, shield, sword, and prayer. Spiritual warfare is a huge topic, and this barely scratches the surface, but did you know that Jesus cast out demons in at least 12 instances in the Bible? And Jesus gave His 12 disciples “power over unclean spirits”. (Luke 10:1, 17-20) There’s is an enemy and his job is to thwart man and ultimately God. And he will come against you. So, occasionally, during your rest, spend time reading, meditating on, and praying through this passage. Check your spiritual armor. I believe God will speak to you about where, and perhaps on whom, you need to focus your thoughts and how to repair, restore, and/or reinforce various parts of your armor.
To conclude, in Exodus 33, Mosses is asking the Lord that since He has found favor with him and is asking him to lead the people to the Promised Land, that He (God) would send someone with him and teach him His ways. The Lord replies to Moses’s with this: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Overall, God has ordained rest as part of our lives. How seriously do you take it? If you’re like me, I have pushed it down the list of priorities in my life. Perhaps it’s time to make it a priority again, just as our Abba Father and His Son have so clearly modeled for and instructed to us. God in His infinite wisdom knew exactly what we needed from the beginning! Consider being intentional about rest in mind, body and spirit, so that you may commune more intimately with our heavenly Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Looking forward to being together with you all soon!! Blessings!!
Your brother in Christ,
Trey Rosenthal
Devotional written by: Trey Rosenthal, Triumph of Hope Volunteer
The past few years, the Lord has led me on a journey of uncovering the treasures hidden in the name of Jesus, and it has been a glorious experience. It has been an honor not only to unveil the mystery behind this powerful name but also to witness its transformative power.