Matthew 11: 28-30, New Living Translation

“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.”

Do you feel guilty when you slow down or take a break—even when you are exhausted?

You are not alone. Many of us live with the pressure to stay busy, even when our minds, bodies, and spirits are crying out for rest. But what does God really say about rest?

How many of us feel hurried? How many of us depend on caffeine to wake up to our existence and responsibilities? How many of us never feel like we have enough time for all the things we need to do? How many of us struggle to remember what we enjoy doing? Please, tell me it’s not just me!

In contrast, how many of us would describe our lives as rested and restful? When was the last time you bragged about taking a nap or getting a full night’s sleep? Do you regularly find yourself with lots of extra time on your hands? No? Me either.

I am not saying being productive is a bad thing, but there is a difference between good tired and dangerous tired. Good tiredness is when we put in a good day’s work, go home to relax and recover, and then come back rested and ready for the new day. Good tired managing a healthy cycle of work to rest and recover, and back to work again. Good tired is how we were designed to live as God’s creatures.

Dangerously tired is when we put in longer hours than normal for too long of a period. Dangerously tired is when we never seem to get enough sleep to recover. It’s when we sprint from one project to another, to another, and never get the recovery time we need.

This isn’t what God desires for us.

Rest is important to your spiritual walk with the Lord, and many Christians today don’t appreciate the value of rest or keeping the Sabbath day holy. Rest allows our mind, body, and soul to renew and start with even more strength and focus.

(This was King Solomon) In Psalm 127:1-2 (NLT), the Psalmist writes: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.”

The phrase, “unless the Lord.” doesn't imply we sit back and don’t do anything. The phrase “unless the Lord” doesn’t say, “Put your feet up and let the Lord build your house.” Instead, the phrase invites us to trust in God and depend on Him, as we do the work He has for us to do. He doesn’t want us to “eat the bread of anxious toil,” meaning running around in busied hurriedness to try to make everything happen on our own. He wants us to trust God and pursue the rest and recovery He offers. Taking time to rest and recover is an act of trust in God. It’s acknowledging we did the best we could with the limitations God gave us, and we are leaving the results up to Him. Resting is nothing to feel guilty about, it shows our trust in God. I believe the enemy wants us so worn down that we won't have strength to fight real battles– and doesn't want us to lean on or trust the Lord.

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, He rested from all His work on the Sabbath day and invited His people to do the same. In fact, He commanded them to rest.

Jesus also invited us to rest when He said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and heavy laden, 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT).

This is God’s heart for us: to find rest. If you and I are feeling overly burdened or worn out, maybe we should pause and ask God to help us see if we have taken on too much.

Finally, God created us with limits that include sleeping, eating, and drinking. Think about how much time those activities take in our lives. He designed us to need eight to nine hours of sleep (maybe more) every day. The Psalmist and Jesus both suggest that rest is God’s gift to us.

Rest is trust. Trust that while we are sleeping, God can still provide for us. Trust that by resting on the Sabbath, God will help accomplish the work we need to get done during the remaining five to six days. Trust that listening to the needs of our bodies honors God as we care for this temple of the Holy Spirit that He’s given us and in which God dwells.

So, if you decide to take a nap today? I approve! God gives rest to His beloved. If you decide to go to bed early tonight? God is pleased by that. Trust the Lord and take care of the one body He gave you!