Bible verses on rest – What does the Bible teach us about resting well?
Here are some bible verses on rest that we hope will be an encouragement to you.
What does the Bible teach us about rest? It’s summertime and at least for us in Scandinavia it’s a time of taking it slower and enjoying the few sunny, warm days we get in the year. We usually carry an expectation to come back from these weeks of vacation feeling rested and ready for the fall and new challenges.
And sometimes and for some people that happens, but have you ever gotten back home feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation? It has definitely happened to me. One thing we might need to do, especially if vacation is done with children or meeting a lot of people, is to adjust the expectations and maybe see it as an investment in memories for the children and not necessarily as a time of recharging.
Today we will also take a look in scripture and see if we can find some keys to rest to help us create a lifestyle of not just running and crashing but a balanced life between work and rest.
Bible Verses On Rest – What Scripture Says About Rest
- God rested, we are created in His image, therefore we need to rest.
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
Gen 2:2-3
In a culture that glorifies busyness, let’s remember this. Let it sink deeply into our hearts. Rest is good. Rest is necessary. Why? We don’t need any other answer than this: God rested, we are created in His image, we need to rest.
Let’s just leave that here. It’s as simple as that.
- Work is not a curse, we are made to work
This is a whole teaching, but shortly let’s just say this: work is not a curse, but something we are created to be doing. This thought might help us find peace in seasons when it’s time to work hard.
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
Gen 2:15
God made it very clear from the beginning, we are meant to be working and taking care of the garden. For Adam and Eve this was an actual garden, for most of us our main job is not to care for a real garden, but our “ life garden”. This can be our homes, our families and our daily jobs. To do well and with our whole heart the tasks God places in front of us, to see it as a blessing and not a curse and to do it for His glory.
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
Col 3:23
- There is a rest deeper than just doing nothing
We can have the most color coordinated Google calendar and have all the time management tools and even have a good amount of time each week marked rest and still feel burned out and spiritually dry. Why? Because discipline is not enough. Planning well is not enough. God is enough.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
This goes deeper than just planning in some moments a day when we spend time with God, deeper than spiritual disciplines. It’s a lifestyle of remaining in Him. Where our hearts find peace in Him, our thoughts hold on to His promises and we live out of the living water that will never run dry. Let’s read the answer Jesus gives to the Samaritan woman at the well:
“Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:14-15
It’s deeper than all other kinds of rest we can list, it’s living from the Spirit of life and filling ourselves up with what brings life. To cling to Him in everything we do. This is something I believe we need to ask for revelation on because it’s more than we can grasp with our minds. So we need to ask Him for a deeper revelation on what this means for our lives.
- God is the key to rest
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-29
“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.”
Psalm 23:1-3
We all have different ways we like to rest, for some people it’s maybe slow mornings or hiking or just being with people we are close to. These are all good things and worth making space for in our time planning.
Sometimes though our lack of rest is not due to busy schedules, but that we are carrying heavy burdens in our hearts or have thoughts that are spinning. Here the Bible teaches us to come to Jesus with these things. To lay down our burdens and let Him lead us to a place that refreshes our soul.
He is the key to deep rest.
- We need to allow God to be God
There is a great quote by John Piper on sleep and letting God be God.
“Sleep is a daily reminder from God that we are not God. Once a day God sends us to bed like patients with a sickness. The sickness is a chronic tendency to think we are in control and that our work is indispensable. To cure us of this disease God turns us into helpless sacks of sand once a day.” – John Piper
If we take an honest look at our lives I think we can find moments when control takes over and we keep working and working trying to fix things, making sure that everything and everyone is doing well, but sometimes we also just need to let things go. To stop worrying and instead pray and leave it to God. He is the one holding the universe, not us. He is the one in control, not us. So let go and let God be God.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7
Maybe real rest is actually more about reconnecting then about disconnecting from reality? Reconnecting with the source of life, with His word, with His truth about who we are, with the Living Water.
The scripture is clear; “Come to Me”. So let’s do it, let’s go to Him.
He, the Shepherd of our lives, will restore our soul. Nothing and no one else can do it better or as deeply.
We hope these thought on rest and bible verses on rest will be an encouragement to you!
If you liked this post based on scripture, make sure to visit the section of your blog with other encouraging bible verse on different topics. Here is a link: https://underbartskapad.com/encouraging-bible-verses/
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