Rest. The concept and action of rest is so simple to understand because it is something we practice daily. After a long day of work, we rest. When we take breaks, we rest. Even when we stop at a stop light, we rest. Rest is not something that is difficult to understand or practice. In fact, we are born naturals at rest. As babies, we quickly learn the benefits of rest -- recharge, relaxation, and peace. Even dreams come from our ability to sleep. But despite our ability to rest, we often find rest an impossibility as we grow older. Family, responsibilities, work, and other daily duties quickly take center stage. Even children can acknowledge the difficulty to rest in a world that never sleeps with their share of homework and responsibilities. In the West, sleep is severely lacking. According to an article from the Sleep Foundation, 50-70 million people in the U.S. report ongoing sleep disorders. As of 2021, there are about 332 million people in America, so that is about 15-21% of the country that wrestles with sleep. And although there are a myriad of reasons for why someone may wrestle will sleep, one thing is clear: you need to rest!

As you may notice, the title of this blog is "Take 5." This, of course, is a reference to the 1959 song "Take 5" by the jazz musician Dave Brubeck. The song title, however, stems from the phrase "take five." According to Merriam-Webster, the phrase "take five" means to take a break. The phrase "take five" is a shorthand way of saying "Take a five-minute break." This desire for a break is rooted in a desire for something deeper: rest.

Rest is not only a necessity, but it is also biblical. As Christians and as human beings, we need rest. Rest allows us to connect with the Creator and allows us to recharge for the day ahead. We are not meant to be machines endlessly working. In fact, even machines need rest. Our bodies and our minds are designed for rest. In this post, I will be discussing the three kinds of rest we must pursue to live as human beings and followers of Christ.

Sabbath Rest

The first kind of rest that we need to take is a Sabbath rest. When God created the world in six days, He rested on the seventh (cf. Genesis 2:2). God rested on the seventh day not because He was exhausted, but because He wanted to provide an example for us of what a healthy relationship to work looked like. Even more so, God wants His creation to rest in Him. The emphasis of Sabbath rest is on God. This is why, in the Law and especially in the Ten Commandments, God told His people to rest: 

"'Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 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 20:8-11, NIV).

In the Jewish Law, it was required that a Jew rested from all labors on a day known as a Sabbath. The Sabbath was a sacred day (cf. Leviticus 23:3; Deuteronomy 5:12; etc.) at the end of each week set apart for rest and worship of God. Considering the fact that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and found little rest from their labors, a good long rest from lifting bricks sounds nice. However, a true Sabbath had very little to do with physical activity and more so to do with the activity of the heart -- that is, reorienting our heart toward God. When we work, we are often become focused on the tasks that need to be done. Worse, we may become overwhelmed with the job or task at hand. This is true in any work or educational environment. As a result, we may develop an obsession with the tasks, clients, or projects of the day. Those obsessions, then, become idols, since we put those above everything else (including God). "'You shall have no other gods before me,'" (cf. Exodus 20:3) says the Lord, and that includes work. Because God does not want us to make work our god, He commands us to rest in Him. This soul-refreshing rest is what is needed after a long week of work, but it is not for our own benefit; rather, it is for our vision to become refocused on God.

Since we live in the New Covenant, we need not worry about practicing Old Covenant laws such as Sabbath observance like the Jews did. However, we still need to practice Sabbath rest in light of the New Covenant. This can be done by setting our sights and our hearts on Jesus. During His ministry, Jesus was accused by His opponents, the Pharisees, for healing and ministering on the Sabbath, an action they perceived as forbidden in the Law. Pharisees typically surrounded a core code in the Old Testament Law with other laws, which was done to avoid violating the core law. This system provided legal barriers (or, 'fences') to protect the core law; such legal fences can be found in the collection of Jewish laws, the Talmud. Of course, Sabbath observance was a core law Pharisees sought to preserve, so they prohibited doing anything perceived as 'work'. A Jewish website lists some of the more modern activities prohibited on the Sabbath:

"Writing, erasing, and tearing; business transactions; driving or riding in cars or other vehicles; shopping; using the telephone; turning on or off anything which uses electricity, including lights, radios, television, computer, air-conditioners and alarm clocks; cooking, baking or kindling a fire; gardening and grass-mowing; doing laundry" ("The Shabbat Laws").

Well, what can you do on a Saturday afternoon? The list of activities prohibited on the Sabbath by devout observers can be endless. But despite a desire to upkeep the Sabbath, observers completely miss the point of the Sabbath by establishing a long list of rules and regulations. The whole point of the Sabbath was not to not work, but rather to spend time with God. And this is Jesus' intent when He corrects the Pharisees for their misguidance:

• "'But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you wouldn’t have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath'" (Matthew 12:7-8, WEB).

• "'What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won’t he grab on to it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day'" (Matthew 12:11-12, WEB).

The fundamental problem for the Pharisees is that they were neglecting the true reason for the Sabbath: rest in God. As a result, the Pharisees developed a legalistic system which attempted to keep their fellow Jews in check on the Sabbath. But, as Lord of the Sabbath (i.e., the One who created the Sabbath), Jesus undercuts any assumption that Sabbath rest is just about resting from work. Rather, Sabbath rest is about resting in Jesus, taking time to pray, and being in connection with God. And through this connection with God, we are able to reflect more of Him to others. This is why the author of Hebrews writes: "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his" (Hebrews 4:9-10, WEB).

The beauty of a Sabbath rest is that, if we understand it correctly, it can lead to us becoming more like Christ. When we rest in God, we are able to reflect who He is to the world (see Exodus 34:29 for how amazing an encounter with God can be!). Taking a proper Sabbath can be done anytime; in fact, it can be done every day. A Sabbath rest is really just spending time with God, and we can do that prayer, reading His Word, worship, or serving others.

Soul Rest

The second kind of rest that we need to take is a soul rest. Soul rest is resting our souls in the presence of God. As part of the Sabbath rest mentioned above, soul rest follows suit in that it is about rest in God. As a result of a Sabbath rest, we become like Christ. Soul rest operates similarly to a Sabbath rest in that quiets the soul, but the emphasis of soul rest is on our own spiritual wellbeing. Soul rest is a personal time of rest that allows for the body and soul to unwind and recharge through the power of God. Soul rest is about taking a break, stepping away, and spending time with God through prayer.

Soul rest allows for our soul to be replenished through resting in God. David acknowledges the need for soul rest in one of his psalms: "Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken" (Psalm 62:1-2, NIV). As it can be seen, soul rest develops a greater love and dependance on God by allowing the soul to rest in God; the result is trusting in Him more. There is a difference between spending time with God and resting in Him. Whereas a Sabbath rest is spending time with God, a soul rest is allowing the soul to feel God's peace and thus developing a deeper dependance on Him. Hence the reason David writes that God is his "rock," "salvation," and "fortress."

Soul rest, essentially, is prayer. However, it is through prayer that we can surrender our souls to God and find that rest in Him. We can see this even in the life of Jesus' ministry. Jesus, after feeding the five thousand, "went up into the mountain by Himself to pray" (cf. Matthew 14:23). Jesus may have been exhausted as a human, but more importantly, He seeks to spend time with the Father for the purpose of renewal. And, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus tells His disciples, "'Sit here, while I go there and pray'" (cf. Matthew 26:36). In this case, Jesus consults the Father and rests Himself in His Father's Will. Soul rest is practical in that it involves prayer and submission to God. 

Soul rest can also be practiced on a daily basis. If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated, or upset, take a moment and pray. Stop what you are doing and find a space for soul rest, if you are able. Take a breather and get away from the work and into the presence of God. If someone is unsure of where to start when it comes to soul rest and prayer, then they can start with the Lord's Prayer:

"'Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen'" (Matthew 6:10-13, WEB).

This simple prayer model by Jesus shows how soul rest works. Soul rest acknowledges God's authority, brings one's own will in submission to God's, asks for provision, asks for forgiveness and guidance on forgiveness, and asks for the protection of God. It is through soul rest that we can truly find rest for our souls in God.

Physical Rest

The third kind of rest that we need to take is a physical rest. This kind of rest is a necessity because it is required for basic human function. Our bodies and our minds were not built for continuous work, and as a result, we fatigue. This is where physical comes into play through sleep. For most of us, sleep comes naturally. Whereas Sabbath rest and soul rest deal with matters of the heart, physical rest deals with the matters of the body. Our bodies and our minds are programmed to wake up and go to sleep during the night in a pattern called the circadian rhythm. When the night comes, our body reminds us that it's time to go to sleep and recharge. This is done through various signals, such as yawning, bloodshot eyes, a decrease in patience, and a general slowdown in bodily movements/functions. Our body is great at telling us how ready we are for sleep, even if we protest otherwise ("But I'm not tired!"). And just like the red lightening bolt icon at the top of our phones telling us the battery is low, so our body does the same.

You need sleep. According to an article from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), sleep is necessary for our "heart and circulatory system, metabolism, respiratory system, and immune system" to function properly ("Why Is Sleep Important?"). Sleep allows us to recover all the energy lost during the day -- that is, from work and and play -- and gives us the ability to recharge. Our bodies self-recharge during sleep. When we receive adequate sleep (7-9 hours for many adults), we are able to do well the next day.

Sleep is a biblical principle. By taking a Sabbath and a soul rest, we are able to also take a physical rest, as well. Sleep is a built-in gift from God because, through sleep, we are able to allow our bodies to relax into His presence. It is through God's peace that our bodies and minds are able to rest and sleep. Commenting on the result of following godly wisdom, Solomon writes: "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet" (Proverbs 3:24, NIV). And when we follow God, we will feel His peace in sleep. David similarly writes in the psalms: "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8, NIV). David reflects on and praise God for the rest that He gives to him. This is because David trusted God, and in return, he was blessed with the peace that comes from God. And though God's peace comes through soul rest, it also affects physical and bodily rest, as well.

Much can be said on what the Bible says on the importance of sleep, but sleep is an important and necessary part of daily living. Sleep is God's built-in recharge for humanity, and He wishes for all of His creation to have a good night's sleep. Sometimes, however, it can be hard to find sleep. For anyone in need of sleep, here are three quick tips on how to enjoy rest:

• Pray: One of the biggest factors to sleeplessness is worry. When we worry, our minds tend to run longer than intended, which causes us to lose sleep and not have enough energy for tomorrow. However, there is a solution. Prayer is one of the ways we can overcome anxiety. When we pray, we are talking to God and engaging in soul rest. In prayer, we can "cast all our cares on God" because He cares for us (cf. 1 Peter 5:7) and rest in His presence. Paul expounds on this more in his letter to the Philippians: "Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, 'Rejoice!' Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:4-7, WEB). When we "let our requests be made known to God" and when we "cast our cares" on Him, it gives us the ability to enjoy God's rest for both our soul and our body. Prayer allows us to rest physically through sleep.

• Plan: Not getting enough sleep can also be due to not planning or preparing well for bedtime. This could be for a myriad of reasons, including too much screentime at night, lack of nightly rhythms/routines, being uncomfortable, or getting too much stimulation at night. The lack of planning for sleep can throw off the circadian rhythm and sleep, as a whole. To maximize sleep, be sure to limit screentime and prepare for bed as much as possible. Get into comfortable clothes for sleep or adjust your bed, pillows, or covers. If necessary, take medications like melatonin to help with sleeping. Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks or eating foods that will bother the stomach before you sleep. 

• Power down: Sometimes, it can be difficult to get sleep because our minds wander and race with possibilities. This can be due to too much stimulation throughout the day or too much excitement about an event. In this case, be sure to limit the amount of stimulation you receive as you head into the night. If needed, listen to peaceful or Christian music, sounds, or mediations to help you wind down.

In addition to sleep, we also must make sure to take care of our bodies through physical activity. Interestingly enough, physical activity can also be a time of rest for our mind and soul. An article by the Sleep Foundation notes that some physical activity may actually increase your ability to sleep. You can take a walk, work out, or even do periodic stretches. Alternatively, physical activity can also include engaging activities related to unplugging from work or school, such as reading a book, taking a drive, going on vacation, visiting a museum or a favorite place, or spending time with family and friends. The possibilities are endless.

Conclusion

We need to rest, and in more ways than one. The human mind is not built to be chained to a cubicle or computer 24/7. We do not live to work, but work to live. Our souls deserve more than to be subjected to what we do. Our souls deserve a cleansing, recharging, energizing rest. This was explored in our need to take a Sabbath, take a soul rest, and allow ourselves to rest physically. And though the world may offer counterfeits of rest, what our souls really need is rest in Jesus. Ultimately, true rest comes through knowing and following Jesus. It truly is as Jesus says: "'Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily 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'" (Matthew 11:28-30, WEB). The true and best rest we can get is from the Maker of that rest -- Jesus Himself.

A final word. When discussing the topic of godly and biblical rest, Psalm 23 is one of the best passages to read. As you read Psalm 23, think of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who will guide you and lead you into rest with Him.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:1-6, NIV).