I jokingly call myself a “recovering type-A personality,” but it’s not such a joke. By nature, I’m a fast-paced person, always on the move, on the go, driven, and achievement-oriented. I’ve been this way since childhood, and while it’s a blessing in some regards, it means I’m horrible at one very important thing: learning to rest.
Give me down-time and I’ll do my best to fill it with tasks and chores – and this creates a lot of spiritual, emotional, and physical tension within me. (Seriously: I have to put “relaxation time” on my schedule to make it a priority.)
But in the last few years, God has laid an important truth on my heart: Rest is a gift. And I’m starting to cultivating the concept of rest as a spiritual discipline.
If you’re like me and need to intentionally carve out more time for rest in your life, I offer the following six tips for embracing rest as a spiritual discipline.
1. Understand God Prioritizes Rest
Rest is important to the Lord. We know this for a few reasons: First, Genesis tells us that God spent six days creating the universe, the earth, the land and the sea, and everything that walks, swims, crawls or otherwise exists here, and then… He rested. The Bible tells us further that “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:3).
Later, when He led Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness, God commanded they observe a day of rest on the seventh day of the week, or as He called it, “a holy sabbath to the Lord” (Exodus 16:23).
God also decreed in the Ten Commandments that the people were to observe and keep the sabbath holy. As God explained, its purpose was for rest and holiness.
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:9-11).
The sabbath, or day of rest, continued to remain of importance throughout the New Testament, honored by Jesus and the disciples.
As children of the Lord and followers of His Son, Jesus Christ, what is important to God should be important to us, too. Therefore, taking regular time to rest, refresh, and gain renewal is a good thing.
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2. Rest Doesn’t Need to Be Just One Day
But rest isn’t reserved only for a sabbath. Throughout Scripture, we see important moments occurring during times of rest. God spoke to His prophets through dreams and visions, usually occurring while they were asleep or resting in their beds. Jesus frequently took time alone, away from the disciples and the crowds, to pray and be alone with the Lord.
As Luke 5:16 states, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
I try to do the same, carving out time in the quiet to still my thoughts and emotions and let the vast awesomeness of God wash over me.
3. We Hear God in the Silence
We surmise that Jesus withdrew to rest and pray because it was a good and intentional space for Him to focus on God — perhaps even to hear Him better without the distractions of people all around clamoring for help and healing.
We know from Scripture that sometimes God chooses to speak in wild displays of power and might, but sometimes He prefers the quiet, maybe so we can hear Him better or connect with Him more deeply.
For example, when the prophet Elijah was fleeing the evil queen Jezebel, he hid inside a cave within Mount Horeb when the Lord spoke to him, asking what he was doing there. Then God commanded his prophet to go stand on the mountain, for He was about to pass by (1 Kings 19:11). Elijah did as asked. He listened for God in the great displays of nature — the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. But God chose finally to speak to Elijah in a gentle whisper that followed (v. 13).
Perhaps God knew Elijah needed a moment of quiet to truly absorb what He was about to tell him.
I know I need quiet time, too, for it helps me hear God better.
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4. It Forces Us to Do What Is Uncomfortable
Rest can be uncomfortable and difficult. Sometimes, we struggle with upsetting emotions, and instead of thinking about them, we try to stay busy so we’re distracted—so we don’t “become sad.” I’ve been guilty of this myself quite a bit.
But leaning in to those emotions can sometimes be exactly what we need. It’s important to understand our hearts, to let God move and work through our conscience and our dark places so His light can permeate us fully.
We might want to do something, thinking it will help us gain control — whether real or emotional — over a situation, but there are many times when God just wants us to be still and rest so He can do His work.
In Psalm 46:10, the Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
In Exodus 14:14, the Lord tells the terrified Israelites, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Surrendering and letting God handle our problems can be difficult, uncomfortable, even one of the hardest things to do. But sometimes, that’s the only thing we can — and should — do.
5. Rest Can Bring Physical Healing
Rest is really good for our bodies. It helps us remain healthy and primes our immune system. It improves our mood, increases our memory, and improves our metabolism.
We might think we’re superheroes, but at the end of the day, we are flesh and blood. Our bodies are fragile and finite. Rest allows us to renew and restore proper function, whether it’s our muscles, our digestive system, or our brain cells.
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6. Rest Can Bring Emotional Healing
When we rest — whether that is taking a nap, getting a good night’s sleep, or simply spending an afternoon doing nothing — we give our brains a rest. We stop producing cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. You allow yourself to become fully present in the moment, to focus on the miracle of your body and the magnificence of God. It is a balm to the soul and helps minimize depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
7. Rest Isn’t Just Binging TV
True rest is taking a break from the concerns of life and allowing oneself to simply be a child of God in this moment in the universe. You might lay in best in the dark surrounded by a pleasant scent, or take some time in the hammock in your yard. You might read or watch a movie or television show, as long as you are genuinely watching it and not flipping channels. You are taking the moment, enjoying the moment, letting it fill you and comfort you. Focus on God as you do this. Let God’s love seep in and surround you.
These are just a few tips that might be able to help you embrace rest as a way to reset your soul and renew your mind and body. Being intentional about rest can indeed be a spiritual discipline, and allowing adequate time and priority is good for you on so many levels.
More from this author
7 Ways to Ease Loneliness and Cultivate Christian Friendships
Pause and Restart: 6 Tips to Start Going to Church Again
8 Ways to Help When Your Teen Is Having Trouble
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Takako Watanabe
Originally published Tuesday, 28 November 2023.
