I was recently reading the account of creation and I think there’s a line in the story that most of us skip right over. Check it out. “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work.” – Genesis 2:2.

Did you see it? God rested. Let that sink in.

He didn’t rest because He was tired. He wasn’t worn out from creating galaxies and giraffes.

The Creator rested because rest is part of the rhythm of creation. Rest is woven into the very fabric of how life is meant to function.

And yet somehow, we think we’re the exception. You know what I’m about to say. We live in a culture that worships productivity. We’re told that hustle is holy, that rest is for the weak, and that if we just grind a little harder, we’ll finally get ahead. Friend, this is nonsense! So, here’s the quiet truth that rarely makes it into our calendars.

You’re not God.

Sabbath is God's Gift to Us

You need rest not because you’re failing—but because you’re human. I quoted Walter Brueggemann’s wonderful book Sabbath as Resistance recently, but I think it needs repeating. Please, indulge me. He says,

“That divine rest on the seventh day of creation has made clear that God is not a workaholic. Humans are invited to share in God’s rest.”

In other words, to ignore Sabbath is to ignore something sacred. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a command. One that lands right in the middle of the Ten Commandments. God’s idea of Sabbath (i.e. Stop, Rest, Delight, and Worship) is not a burden, but a gift.

But we don’t treat it like a gift. We treat it like a barrier to our ambition. If we’re honest, most of us operate with an inner voice that says, If I stop, everything might fall apart.  That voice sounds spiritual when it says things like, “This is just a busy season.” But, I hope you hear me when I say, “Seasons come and go, but most of us are living in permanent overdrive.”

Alan Fadling, in his excellent book, An Unhurried Life, names our condition well when he says,

“I often struggle to live as though I’m more than what I do. Hurry is not just a disordered schedule. Hurry is a disordered heart.”

Recently, I told you I gave up hurry for Lent. I’m now trying to make this my lifestyle. Why? Because hurry tells us we’re needed, that the world can’t spin without us. Sabbath, on the other hand, reminds us that we are not God—and that, my dear reader, is a freeing truth.

So, what’s really at stake?

Sabbath is All About Trust

At its core, the question of Sabbath isn’t about time management. It’s about trust.

• Do I trust God to hold the universe together while I sleep?
• Do I trust that I am loved even when I’m not producing?
• Do I trust that God knows better than I do what my body, mind, family, business, and soul truly need?

Mark Buchanan, in The Rest of God, offers this:

“Most of the things we need to be most fully alive never come in busyness. They grow in rest.”

When we refuse to rest, we’re not just being stubborn or overcommitted—we’re refusing to trust. We’re saying, in essence, God may rest, but I can’t afford to. I know better.

That’s not ambition. That’s pride. Pure and simple.

So, what if we trusted God enough to stop? Imagine what it would look like if we practiced Sabbath not as an afterthought, but as a declaration of Divine trust and love?

Stop, Rest, Delight, and Worship

Imagine setting your phone down, closing your laptop, and spending an afternoon in pure delight and beauty (whatever that is for you), around a table with friends, taking pictures, on a walk, with your kids, in prayer, reading for enjoyment, creating art, writing poetry, or just sitting outside in nature, or whatever brings life to your soul.

All the previous ideas are simply practical ways of being a human being and not a human doing in God’s living and welcoming presence!

This kind of rest is open rebellion against a culture that says you’re only as valuable as your output. This kind of rest is a way of saying, “God, I trust You. I trust that You’re enough—and that, in You, I am enough too.”

God rested. Not because He had to, but because He wanted to show us how to live. Why can’t we? Maybe because we’ve forgotten what trust looks like.

But . . .  His Sabbath invitation still stands—week after week, like a gentle whisper. Do you hear it?

Come rest. I’ve got you.

And if we did then maybe, just maybe, our lives would begin to breathe again.

Practical Next Steps for Taking a True Sabbath

This week, schedule a Sabbath—not a day off to catch up on errands, but a true Sabbath. Even if it’s just half a day, set aside time to unplug, slow down, and intentionally trust God with your to-do list.

So, DO THIS:

• Pick a time: Block it off and protect it. The Enemy doesn’t want this. He’ll attack it. So, you better tenaciously fight for it! He is a THIEF, and he will steal the joy around this!!
• Turn off notifications: Yes, even email. So, don’t check it.
• Be with people or be alone: but whatever you do, let it be restful, joy producing, restorative, and life-giving. Remember, if it feels like work — it’s work!
• End with gratitude: Thank God for holding the world while you rested.

Still not sure you can do this? I dare you to honestly answer these questions in God’s presence.

1. What does my current pace of life say about who I trust most—God or myself?
2. When was the last time I truly felt rested? What made that possible?
3. Do I believe that God can accomplish more with my six days of faithful work and one day of rest than I can with seven days of striving?
4. What small Sabbath rhythm can I start practicing this week?

This is offered in love and with a pastor’s heart for the betterment of your own soul. Let those who have ears to hear, hear (and then . . . go and do).

Thanks for reading,

JC

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