The other day, I found myself feeling exhausted. Not just tired. Exhausted. Deeply. Spiritually. Emotionally. I remember whispering a prayer, “Lord, I just need rest.” But as soon as I prayed, I wondered: What exactly do I mean by rest? A nap? A holiday? A day off? A social media detox?
We throw around the word rest in our churches and our homes, but what is rest, really? And is it just a human craving, or a divine calling? As a Christian woman navigating ministry, motherhood, marriage, and work—sometimes all within the same hour—I’ve had to wrestle deeply with the meaning and practice of rest. So let’s go there together. Let’s explore rest from a biblical lens. What is rest? What is it not? And how can we live in it even when life is messy, hard, and unrelenting?
The Meaning of Rest
At its core, rest is not just about stopping work; it’s about rejuvenating the body, mind, and soul. The Bible gives us the very first picture of rest in Genesis 2:2, where God rested after creating the heavens and the earth. Not because he was tired, but because his work was complete. God’s rest was about satisfaction and completion, not recovery from exhaustion.
In Scripture, the Hebrew word “shabath” (from which we get “Sabbath”) means “to cease” or “to stop.” But it’s not mere idleness, it’s holy, intentional, worship-filled stopping. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This rest is more than physical; it’s a rest applied to the soul, freeing it from the burden of sin, self-righteousness, and self-dependence.
Rest is both a gift and a command. It is the gracious space where we cease from our labors and remember that God is God, and we are not.
An Invitation of Rest to All Believers
Rest is not optional for believers; it is commanded, gifted, and modeled. God gave the Sabbath command in Exodus 20:8-11, calling his people to rest one day in seven, imitating his rest in creation. But it was also a day to remember deliverance (Deuteronomy 5:15). In the Old Testament, rest was both creation-rooted and redemption-rooted.
In the New Testament, while the ceremonial observance of the Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ (Colossians 2:16-17), the principle of rest remains. Hebrews 4 explains that believers enter a greater rest—spiritual rest—through faith in Christ. This rest is both now and not yet. We rest now by trusting in the finished work of Christ, and we long for the eternal rest from every consequence of sin. Resting is a call to faith. It is a call to stop trying to prove ourselves. It is a proclamation and affirmation that Christ has done it all.
What Does Rest Look Like Practically?
Let’s face it: Most of us feel like we can’t afford to rest. There’s too much to do. Laundry piles up, our jobs demand overtime, the kids need attention, and ministry never ends. But rest in the gospel doesn’t begin with a cleared calendar; it starts with a quietened soul.
Resting in the gospel means trusting in Christ’s finished work. You don’t have to earn your standing with God. It’s already secured by Christ (Romans 5:1). It also means ceasing from spiritual performance. You are not loved by God any more than you were before you led a Bible study or fasted for 3 days. His love is fixed because of Jesus. Practically, rest might look like:
- reading Scripture not just to check a box, but to listen to your Father.
- praying, not as a duty, but as a place of safety.
- taking a Sunday afternoon nap because you trust God will sustain your week.
- saying no to another commitment because your soul is not infinite.
The Enemies of Rest
1. Self-Sufficiency
We often believe that everything depends on us. That if we stop, everything will fall apart. This is pride dressed up as productivity. Psalm 127:2 reminds us, “It is in vain that you rise early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” God alone is sovereign. I can rest because he does not; he is infinite.
2. Guilt and Legalism
Some of us, including me, feel guilty about resting. “There’s still work to do. I shouldn’t be watching a show or reading a novel.” But rest is not laziness when it is rooted in faith. Legalism tells us we must do more. Grace invites us to cease striving. I love how Jen Oshman puts it: “Work and the world move on without me. I am finite, and that is good.”
3. Distractions and Escapism
Scrolling on TikTok for three hours isn’t rest, it’s an escape. There’s a difference between proper rest and time-wasting. True rest restores, rejuvenates, and refreshes our bodies, minds, and souls. Escapism numbs. One invites us closer to God; the other makes us forget him.
4. Idolatry of Productivity
We often measure our value by how busy we are. “I’m hustling,” we say, wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor. But Jesus did not die so we could worship hustle. He died to give us rest (Hebrews 4:9-10). We need to remind ourselves, daily, that rest is not the enemy of productivity. It is quite the opposite. Rest is productivity’s companion. Rest leads to increased creativity, more energy, a refreshed mind, and even motivates us to get back to work.
We often run to things that promise rest, but leave us more drained: Netflix, romantic relationships, social media, and vacations. These things are not inherently wrong. There is a place for a good movie, a novel, or a day at the beach. Ecclesiastes 3:13 even says that it is God’s gift to eat, drink, and enjoy our toil. But they must serve rest, not replace it.
The Already and the Not Yet: Living in Christ’s Rest Today
One of the most beautiful truths of the gospel is that rest is already ours. Jesus has made peace between us and God. We are secure. Justified. Adopted. Freed. But we also live in a broken world, with noisy neighbors, heartbreaks, deadlines, and chronic illnesses. So, we live in the already and the not yet. We have rest in Christ, but we also long for the day when we will rest fully with him (Revelation 14:13).
What does this look like now? It means that even when you feel unproductive or unseen, your identity is not shaken; it’s hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). Even when your circumstances are chaotic, your soul can whisper, “It is well.”
Practical Rhythms for Rest in a Busy World
Rest is both a spiritual reality and a practical rhythm. Here are some ways to embrace it even when life is full.
- Schedule rest: If it’s not on the calendar, it probably won’t happen. Set aside time weekly (like Sunday afternoon or one evening) to stop.
- Unplug periodically: Set aside dedicated times to disconnect from your phone. Let your mind and heart breathe.
- Sabbath intentionally: Set a rhythm of worship, delight, and ceasing work. Perhaps for the believer, it could be a Sunday worship service, followed by lunch, a long nap, or a cup of coffee in a café.
- Say no to say yes: Every “yes” to another task is a “no” to rest. Learn to set gospel-centered boundaries.
- Lean on community: Sometimes rest is found in laughing with others, confessing burdens, or sitting with a friend over chai.
Real Rest vs. Wasting Time: Know the Difference
As mentioned earlier, we must discern between holy rest and idle escape. Rest refreshes, escape avoids. Rest makes us available to God and others; escape numbs us to reality. Watching a movie with friends after a long week? That can be a good rest. Watching movies all day to avoid prayer or people? Probably not. Reading a novel in the evening? Lovely. Bingeing on stories to avoid reading Scripture or facing your heart? Not restful. Let’s be honest with ourselves. Let us learn to ask ourselves: Am I resting in the gospel, or escaping my life?
Lay Your Burdens Down.
A few months ago, I spent a night awake, not from insomnia, but from anxiety. Everything was overwhelming. My home felt chaotic. I hadn’t had a proper Sabbath in weeks. That morning, I opened Psalm 62:1: “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.” There it was. The invitation again. God was not asking me to figure it all out. He was calling me to rest.
Proper rest is found in Christ alone. He invites us to come with our weariness, not our strength (Matthew 11:28). He does not demand productivity to grant us peace. He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). Rest is not the reward for finishing all our tasks; it is the grace we receive in Christ, even when the list is unfinished.
To you who are faithfully serving in ministry, to the young mum juggling toddlers and home, to the single woman tired of expectations, to the man weighed down by endless responsibilities—hear this: You are allowed to rest. Not because you earned it. But because Jesus secured it. And when you do, when you lay your burdens down at his feet and surrender, you proclaim with your life: My God is enough. My Saviour is sufficient. And I trust him even when the work is not done.
Let’s be a people that rest well: not lazily, not legalistically, but lovingly. Our rest preaches a better gospel than our hustle ever could.