It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones. Psalm 127:2

 

If you’ve got a lot to do, how easy is it for you to stop and rest?

A successful trial attorney was known for saying, “Sleep is a weapon!” Rest up so you can be sharper than the next guy, was the thought. “In a culture consumed with production and performance,” observed one pastor, “rest is warfare.”[1] God tells us to rest, but it’s not so that we can then work harder, prove our worth or live a better life than the next person.

Why does rest matter to God? Scripture says, “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalm 127:2). When God created humanity, Adam and Eve’s first day of living wasn’t one of work, but one of rest. God didn’t have us spring into productivity (Genesis 2:2-3). First, we rested with God. God showed that we were enjoyed and cherished just for who we are and not what we do. This model God gave shows us that to just be and enjoy isn’t a reward for our labor.[2] It’s an essential gift– essential to remind us that we are more than what we achieve.

God’s gift of rest can look like different things to different people but it’s more than just distracting yourself from your work.  Recharging the soul happens when we make time to be still. It’s unrushed and guilt free. God loves you and says your overwork is “useless.” He’s made space for you to enter His rest today. Will you stop and enjoy it?

[1] Simkins, Ian. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Instagram, 7 February 2023, https://www.instagram.com/p/C3AhMuLs0NB/?img_index=1.

[2] Ibid.