Chasing After Rest
Let’s face it: we live busy lives. We believe there is something we should be doing during every moment of every day. We try to fill our days to the brim because it is the norm — everyone is busy, so shouldn’t I be busy too? And the fact is, we are fairly good at it. We are good at busy.
We value work.* We value travel. We value time spent with friends and family. We value our hobbies, passions, and dreams. Many of the things we keep ourselves busy with are not inherently bad. They are good, virtuous “time-takers.” But when our activities and responsibilities lead to constant exhaustion, irritability, and a complete loss of our time, they become dangerous. How do we better understand the root of the problem of busyness?
I think the solution has to do with rest. Good rest.
Finding Good Rest
In the first verses of Genesis 2 we receive the conclusion to God’s creative week. Everything from the heavens and the earth, to light and vegetation, along with land, sky, and sea animals, man and woman — it was all created during these six days. And now we arrive to the seventh day. Scripture states:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Genesis 2:1-3
God created the world and everything in it and then he found it important to rest on the seventh day. Now, there are a couple of things that can be highlighted in this passage that are interesting. Briefly:
The phrases “seventh day” and “his work” are both stated three times, indicating importance and that creation was God’s work alone.
In the original Hebrew the first three lines of verses 2 and 3 are each seven words long. The central part of each line is highlighted with “the seventh day.” This perhaps emphasizes the significance of the seventh day of rest.
The seventh day is the only day of Creation blessed and made holy by God.
The number seven is used numerous times in Scripture in reference to absolute perfection or completion, beginning here in Genesis 1 (and again in Gen 7:2; Ex 22:30; Josh 6:3-4; 2 Kings 5:10; Isa 11:2; the seven I Am statements of Christ; and many more). So from the very beginning we know that this seventh day is an important one. It is the day that completes the week, completes Creation.
The poetry with which these verses are written is a beautiful inside look at the cruciality of rest in God’s plan. God created work alongside rest in the garden. Work is inherently a good concept. It was and is a part of God’s plan. Man was called to tend to Creation and have dominion over it. But we were also called to something else — rest. God gives man and woman their purpose and calling in life, to work and manage the Creation He brought into being, but He also knew the importance of rest.
Working for Rest
Genesis 3 changes everything. Man disobeyed God by choosing to turn away from Him, choosing what was “best.” We broke the promise of rest. We’ve been fighting the Fall ever since. We’ve tended to do the opposite of what God intended for us in the garden. We know what’s best for us, we have our best interests at heart, so we turn away from the very Creator who formed us. Rest was created for mankind for his benefit. Yet we see rest as weakness…as laziness…as potential for boredom.
We pile things on. We double book events. We say yes to responsibilities that will push us over the edge. We even add activities to our children’s schedules to teach them to be busy too! And so, we find ourselves chasing after the garden trying to find satisfaction — trying to find perfection. But things just aren’t the way they are supposed to be.
We are broken because of our sin (Rom 3:23). We are dead in our sin and can only be helped by the Creator who fashioned us from dust (Rom 6:23; 8:3; Eph 2:1; Col 2:13). We try to fix things, but it never works. Maybe for a little while, but not long term. Dead people can’t do much for themselves. But God offers us grace (Eph 2:8, 9). He offers us hope in spite of our sin. In spite of our busyness, God offers us rest. But this gift only comes from Him. It can only come from Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom 5:15–17). But rest is a discipline. It’s more than a nap, more than staying home and watching Netflix instead of going out. We have to make time for rest just like we make time in our relationships with God. Just like we make time for our family and friends. Rest isn’t always easy or our instinctive response. Rest must be practiced so it becomes a habit.
Our rest is found in God’s grace. Does that mean we won’t ever be tired or busy? No, of course not. But when we lean upon the grace of God and find our rest in Him we can’t help but feel refreshed by His presence. Spend time in God’s Word. Spend time praying for spiritual and physical rest. Give over the busiest parts of your life to the God who created and sanctified rest.
I love what K.A. Mathews has to say about rest in Genesis 2:
By the commemoration of “Sabbath,” God and his creatures share in the celebration of the good creation, and God’s people are enjoined to enter into the rhythm of work and joyful rest. Embracing God’s sabbath rest meant experiencing the sense of completeness and well being God had accomplished at creation in behalf of all human life.
K.A. Mathews
*Americans have actually made a gradual decline in reported working hours over the last 65+ years.