My college roommate decided she could be more productive if she slept every other night. That’s an extra eight hours every other day to get things done, right? Sounds great in theory. But as you might expect, it didn’t take long before she realized she needed a lot more rest than that.
This method of limiting our physical rest seems extreme. But honestly, we do the same thing with our spiritual rest. We skip church, tell ourselves we’ll join Bible study when we have more time, and forget to pray or do daily devotions because there’s just so much else to do in the day. But just as God designed our bodies to need physical rest, He designed our souls to need rest in His Word.
What God Says About Spiritual Rest
God’s Word has a lot to say about spiritual rest. God Himself rested on the seventh day of creation to show us the importance of rest. Honoring the Sabbath is the Third Commandment, which God gives us for our benefit so we can be assured of our forgiveness, reflect on His Word of truth, and be comforted by His promises. And when we hear words like restore and restoration in Scripture, we can think of the rest we find in Christ alone.
Recorded in Matthew 11:28–30, Jesus said:
Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
We also observe King David seeking spiritual restoration in Psalm 51:
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Spiritual Rest as an Invitation
As we read these verses, it’s important to see them as descriptive of how our lives should be as Christians, not prescriptive of exactly how many hours per week we need to pray or be in Bible study. The Pharisees made this invitation to rest into a step-by-step rigid rule about what could and could not be done on the Sabbath to earn God’s favor, instead of looking to God for mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Jesus came and overthrew those ideas and instead calls us to simply find rest in Him alone.
Spiritual rest is a gift, a Gospel invitation from God to rest in His promises, receive His gifts in weekly worship, and spend time with Him in small, simple ways as we live out our daily vocations. And that may look different throughout the seasons of our lives.
What Spiritual Rest Looks Like
It’s easy to see spiritual rest as something Instagram worthy, an hour of time with Jesus every morning with a cup of coffee, a highlighted Bible, and a personalized journal with beautifully written notes. Or perhaps an uplifting retreat with amazing Christian speakers and encouraging fellowship that fills your cup to overflowing. And in some seasons of life, that may be what spiritual rest looks like for you.
But in other seasons of life, spiritual rest might look a little different. It might look like singing a comforting hymn in the middle of the night while you hold your newborn baby. It might look like being frequently distracted by your young kids in worship every Sunday but knowing it’s worth it because the Word of the Lord never returns empty. It might look like listening to worship music on your commute to work or school.
These forms of spiritual rest may not always feel or look as tranquil and restful as you’d like, but God promises to hear your prayers and restore you through His Word wherever you may be. In every season of life, we can take a deep breath and find some much-needed spiritual rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Scripture: ESV®.
Download this month’s Everyday Faith Calendar for daily moments of spiritual rest in God’s Word, with short Bible readings and prayer prompts for the month.
