When I was a child, one weekday stood alone as different from all the others. From Monday to Friday I went to school. On Saturdays we went shopping or had family outings, but Sunday was unique. It was the day when the whole pace of life slowed down to a crawl. My mother took me to Sunday School, while also attending morning and evening worship. The streets seemed quieter, apart from the merry sounds of children playing, and the mouth-watering smell of Sunday roasts permeated the air. It was truly a day of rest and reflection. The shops were closed, and people generally stayed close to home and enjoyed time with their families.
Sundays are different now. The shops are open, and the roads are busier. Many families don’t choose to attend worship services, favouring sporting events or retail therapy. Some people have to work, because a 5-day working week is a long-forgotten luxury. The question is, have we lost out by not taking a day of rest?
How many people do you and I know who would say they are suffering from stress related illnesses? Do you constantly hear others talking about how tired they are, and how they just long to get away from it all? Work environments have become a pressure cooker of activity as people struggle to meet deadlines, sales targets, etc. They go to work early, come home late, and never have time to switch off or just relax and enjoy their families. Is this what God wanted for his children?
When God created the world, he did so in 6 days. Being God Almighty, I’m sure he had boundless energy and could have gone on creating forever. Yet, he chose to set the seventh day aside as a day of rest and made it a holy day. This was carried forward into the ten commandments God gave to Moses, when the stipulation to remember the seventh day was given as part of the law. God’s people were told in no uncertain terms that they had 6 days in which to do all their necessary work. If God could complete his work in 6 days, then what excuse does man have?
I’ve heard some people say that old testament laws don’t apply to us anymore. However, the older I get, the more I see the need for a day of rest and reflection. There is so much demanding our time and attention. We are on the go from morning until night, and this can leave little time for us to dwell on the things of God.
In Mark 6 verse 31, we learn of a time in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples when the demands upon them became too great. WE are told that so many people were coming and going that they didn’t even have enough time to eat. How did Jesus respond to this pressure? Did he push his friends to work harder, assuring them that his Father would give them all the strength they needed? He did the exact opposite. He urged them to go with him to a quiet place and get some rest. He didn’t make them wait until the people had stopped coming, because Jesus knew there would always be needs, but he knew his disciples had reached their limit.
Too many of us today are prone to push beyond our limits in work, or ministry. Just as the Lord doesn’t want us to become selfish and never consider the needs of others, he also doesn’t want us becoming overwhelmed and wearing ourselves out. AS in most things, there must be a balance. I have come to understand that balance can be achieved by taking a day of rest. However, we shouldn’t be surprised by this, because as we’ve seen, it was God’s plan all along, and his plans for us are always the best.
We don’t have to be legalistic about taking a break. There may be practical reasons why Sundays don’t work for you. I appreciate that some people must work on Sundays in order to keep food on the table. For church ministers, it’s probably the busiest day of the week. The issue is making the time to rest, whether that’s on Sundays or Saturdays, Fridays or Mondays.
About 2 years ago, I felt led to set aside Sunday afternoons for my favourite pastime – reading. Since I tend to choose Christian books, this has become a wonderful way for the Lord to speak to me. On the weeks when I can do this, I feel refreshed. On the occasions I can’t, Monday mornings are a real struggle.
The ways in which we rest are between us and God, and I believe different forms will work for different individuals. That’s the wonderful thing about our Lord – he is a personal saviour, and he knows us better than we know ourselves, so he will show each of us how to rest. When we do, we will be surprised at how he speaks to us in the stillness. Psalm 23 talks about the Lord restoring our souls, but it’s hard for him to do this if we’re constantly on the go.
If you feel guilty for taking time to rest, then please know this is a lie of the enemy, who loves to keep us in bondage to all sorts of things. He’d love nothing more than to keep us so busy that we don’t have the resources or energy to spend quality time with our Saviour. WE must be careful that we don’t end up spending so much time doing the Lord’s work that we neglect the one whose work we are meant to be doing. The pressure to perform most often comes from ourselves, and not from god.
In Psalm 27 verse 2, it says: In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.” Jesus spoke of the Sabbath being made for man in Mark 2: 27,
Some of my favourite scripture verses about rest can be found in Matthew chapter 11, 28-30. “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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” So much of God’s heart for us is revealed in these verses. He doesn’t want us to be frazzled or stressed and has taught us from the beginning that days of rest are healthy, holy, and necessary. So, take some time out with Jesus, and I promise you will be blessed.