Sabbath for the Restless: Rediscovering God’s Gift of Rest

God Rested

The creation narrative reveals the divine origin of rest. After completing his work of creation, God “saw all that He had made, and it was very good…so on the seventh day He rested from all His work” (Genesis 1:31–2:3). God did not rest out of fatigue but as an expression of satisfaction and fulfillment. He delighted in the goodness of creation, setting the seventh day apart as sacred—a day of rest. Abraham Joshua Heschel (1951), a renowned Jewish theologian, beautifully describes this divine pause as “the holy architecture of time” and “holiness in time” (p. 10). Heschel’s words remind us that the Sabbath is not merely a break from labor but a sanctified moment woven into the fabric of time, inviting us into God’s joy and peace.

God commanded his people to rest, embedding it in the fourth and longest of the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20, he declared: “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work” (vv. 9–10). This command was not merely a rule but a reflection of God’s love and care. By blessing and sanctifying the seventh day (Genesis 2:3), God wove rest into the rhythm of life, pointing to its sacred significance.

The story of Adam and Eve offers a striking example. Created on the sixth day, their very first experience was not work but rest. They awoke to a Sabbath, stepping into a world already complete and brimming with God’s goodness. Their introduction to life was not marked by toil but by the joy of resting in God’s provision.

A Restless Wanderer

A tragic turning point unfolds in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve, created to enjoy fellowship with God, chose rebellion instead, leading to their expulsion from paradise (Genesis 3:23). Their sin disrupted the harmony of creation and introduced a legacy of brokenness. This brokenness continued with their sons, Cain and Abel. Consumed by anger and jealousy when God accepted Abel’s offering but not his own, Cain committed the first murder, spilling his brother’s blood onto the ground. This act not only brought a curse upon the earth but also a haunting judgment upon Cain: “You will be a restless wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:12).

The curse of restlessness, as seen in Cain’s story, is a profound consequence of sin. It is not merely physical displacement but an inner turmoil—a heart untethered from peace and purpose. This condition echoes through history, reminding us that rebellion against God separates us from the true rest and wholeness he desires for us. The restless wanderer becomes a vivid symbol of humanity’s struggle apart from God: cursed to wander, longing for rest, yet unable to find it.

Stories of humanity’s rebellion against God continued beyond Eden, revealing a recurring pattern of distrust and disobedience. During the Exodus, God provided manna to sustain the Israelites in the wilderness, instructing them to gather only what they needed for each day. On the sixth day, they were to collect enough for two days so they could honor the holy rest of the Sabbath without needing to work. God promised that the manna would not spoil, yet some Israelites ignored his command. Distrusting his provision, they went out on the Sabbath to gather more, only to find nothing. Their actions revealed an inability to rest—not from physical exhaustion but because their hearts lacked faith in God’s care.

Scripture abounds with evidence of God’s people failing to embrace rest. Over time, the Sabbath, intended as a holy gift, became hollow. Instead of a day of renewal and worship, it was reduced to empty rituals. Through the prophet Isaiah, God rebuked his people: “Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games… I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning” (Isaiah 1:13–14, The Message).

This perversion of rest—before and after it was codified as a commandment—underscores a deeper truth: restlessness is not merely the result of external circumstances but a symptom of sin. At its core, restlessness reflects our rebellion against God, a refusal to trust in his provision and abide in his care. It is our sin, not our schedules, that keeps us from the rest he lovingly commands.

Are You Rested?

What about today? Modern life often feels like a relentless race, fueled by caffeine and endless distractions. Mornings might begin with a Venti latte or an energy drink, not to savor, but to push through exhaustion. Evenings are consumed by Netflix binges, YouTube spirals, and the infinite scroll of social media—Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more. The night slips away, sleep sacrificed to fleeting entertainment, leaving us depleted for yet another demanding day.

Our culture glorifies busyness as a badge of success. Productivity becomes the measure of worth, and the mantra of “doing more” dominates. We study time-management techniques, believing we can master our schedules and seize control, only to find that time often masters us instead.

This constant striving leaves us drained, yet we rarely pause to ask: Is this the life we were made for? In our quest for achievement, we lose sight of the rest our souls desperately need, and the more we chase after it on our own terms, the further it seems to slip away. True rest, it turns out, cannot be planned, purchased, or controlled—it must be received as the sacred gift that it is.

We long for rest, yet we often fail to make space for it in our lives. Instead, we push ourselves to the brink of exhaustion, sometimes to the point where rest is no longer a choice but a medical necessity. Doctors “prescribe” rest when we reach physical, mental, or emotional collapse—a forced pause that reveals just how unsustainable our busyness has become.

Our culture thrives on chronic busyness, pulling us into a relentless cycle of doing, achieving, and striving. In the process, we often forget—or outright ignore—God’s command to rest: “Remember the Sabbath rest” (Exodus 20:8). Unlike the rest of creation, which naturally follows the rhythms of work and rest ordained by God, humans alone resist this sacred balance. We tie our worth to productivity, fearing that without constant activity, our existence might lack meaning.

In this way, we become like Cain, the restless wanderer, or the stubborn Israelites who gathered manna on the Sabbath despite God’s command. Distrust and disobedience fuel our restlessness. Perhaps our understanding of rest has been distorted, twisted by a culture that equates rest with idleness or indulgence. True rest, as God intended, remains elusive—not because it is out of reach, but because our hearts refuse to surrender to its gift.

Sin as the Rest-Thief

The root issue behind busyness is not merely our packed schedules but sin—specifically, the sin of prideful independence. Our culture glorifies self-sufficiency, encouraging us to prove our worth through independence and productivity. C.S. Lewis (1952) described self-sufficiency as a form of pride, and Kevin DeYoung (2013), in Crazy Busy, points out that pride often gives rise to busyness and other sins. Adam and Eve’s rebellion exemplifies this desire for autonomy, a refusal to depend on their Creator. In seeking independence from God, we, like Cain, have become restless wanderers. St. Augustine captured this reality when he prayed, “O Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

The Israelites in the wilderness demonstrated this same distrust when they gathered manna on the Sabbath, doubting God’s provision. Their actions revealed a deeper problem: disbelief in God’s faithful care. We often do the same today, relying on our own efforts rather than trusting God to meet our needs. Hebrews 4 warns, “Since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience [or disbelief]” (v. 6). Our failure to rest stems from the same disbelief, preventing us from entering the peace God offers through his faithful providence.

The Pseudo-Rest

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang (2016), a well-known secular author on the subject of rest, describes two primary approaches to achieving rest, both of which are deeply ingrained in modern culture. The first approach, rooted in 19th-century medical practices, is the “rest cure.” Originally prescribed for fatigue and burnout, this method emphasized a regimented lifestyle that included a balanced diet, fresh air, vigorous exercise, and even a return to more primitive living conditions. In today’s world, this approach often manifests as the idea of taking an extended leisure vacation—a break from the daily grind to rejuvenate our bodies and minds.

The second approach Pang highlights is psychosocial in nature. This method focuses on strategies to alleviate modern-day stress by fostering relaxation (a state of low activation and increased positive emotions), establishing a sense of control (the freedom to make choices), engaging in mastery experiences (activities that are both interesting and challenging), and practicing mental detachment from work (the ability to emotionally disconnect from job-related concerns).

While these approaches offer temporary relief and serve as valuable tools in managing stress, they often fail to address the deeper need for rest at a spiritual level. Both the “rest cure” and psychosocial strategies can provide moments of refreshment, but they fall short of the transformative, soul-renewing rest that God offers—a rest that extends beyond physical or mental restoration and into the realm of the sacred. The danger lies in mistaking these forms of pseudo-rest for the true Sabbath rest that reconnects us to the source of life itself.

The modern leisure and travel industry offers a dazzling array of opportunities to meet our desire for rest and escape. Yet, as R. Paul Stevens (2001) insightfully describes, these offerings often constitute what he calls a “pseudo-Sabbath” (p. 205). The term “pseudo” underscores the superficial nature of such experiences. When leisure is commercialized, it tends to provide a shallow form of rest, one that leaves the soul yearning for something deeper.

Stevens critiques the leisure industry for reducing rest to a commodity—a product to be consumed rather than a sacred rhythm to be embraced. This commodification of rest, he argues, focuses on self-indulgence and keeps us “earthbound,” tempting us to prioritize our hobbies and amusements (avocations) over our higher purpose and calling (vocations). In doing so, it seduces us into believing that fleeting pleasures hold greater significance than our God-given mission.

Similarly, Robert Banks (2017) warns against this distortion, observing how the leisure industry has transformed vocation into vacation. While vacations can refresh the body and mind, they often lack the sacred dimension of Sabbath rest, which calls us to engage our whole selves—body, mind, and spirit—in worship and communion with God.

True rest, as Stevens and Banks emphasize, is not about escape or indulgence. It is vocational, aligning our entire being with God’s call and purpose. In contrast, pseudo-rest distracts us, leaving us restless and disconnected from the deeper rest that only God can provide.

True Rest

The term “true” may seem redundant when discussing rest, yet it is purposefully used here to contrast the concept of “pseudo-rest” and to anchor our understanding in biblical truth. If we are to rethink and redefine what rest truly means, we must begin with God—the source and sustainer of all rest. There are several fundamental Biblical principles to guide us in understanding true rest. While this list is not exhaustive, it serves as a framework, providing a scriptural foundation to help us define, embrace, and plan for rest in our lives. By aligning our view of rest with God’s design, we can rediscover its richness and transformative power.

1.  Rest as Ceasing. True rest begins with ceasing. The Hebrew verb “Shabbat” means “to cease” or “to desist” (Marva Dawn, 1989, p. 3). At its heart, rest calls us to pause from striving and remember we are not the center of the world. If the creator himself rested on the seventh day, we are also called to follow his example. Ceasing shifts our focus from doing to being, as Psalm 46:10 says: “Be still and know that I am God.” This invites us to release control and trust in God, liberating us from idols of work and achievement. Dawn emphasizes that rest affirms our worth in God’s eyes, even without productivity, challenging our modern obsession with efficiency and busyness. Practically, ceasing means stepping away from work, unplugging from technology, and letting go of FOMO and to-do lists. It’s an intentional pause that invites God’s presence to renew us. As John Calvin (1555) puts it, “Rest in order that God might work” (p. 335). True rest creates space for God to act in us and through us, making it an act of trust rather than idleness.

2. Reordering Affections. Rest invites us to reorder our affections and align them with God’s desires. Jamie Smith (2005) explains, “Entering God’s rest is not a matter of doing nothing; it is a matter of desiring the right thing, and then ordering our activities in light of that desire.” Rest begins with ceasing but goes beyond stopping to reorienting our hearts toward what truly matters. Stopping allows us to face ourselves, often in uncomfortable ways. Christian counselors like Chuck DeGroat (2016) and Terry Wardle (2005) note that many avoid quiet moments to escape confronting their inner struggles. Yet this avoidance only deepens our restlessness. Smith highlights scripture’s transformative power, saying, “The living power of the Word transforms our desires by reshaping our imagination to be directed toward the Triune God. To do so is to find rest.” God’s word reorients our hearts, replacing disordered desires with a longing for him. Dawn emphasizes worship as a remedy for disordered affections, writing that it “exposes our pride, individualism, and sin.” Worship also becomes a place of healing, equipping us to reenter the world as renewed people. Ultimately, rest means submitting to God’s restorative work, like lying still as the Great Physician performs “heart surgery.” By reordering our affections, rest refreshes our bodies, renews our spirits, and redirects our lives toward God’s glory.

3. Non-Utilitarian Value. Manybelieve rest is simply a way to work better. Lauren Winner (2003) calls this perspective “capitalism’s justification” for rest (p. 11), where rest becomes a tool for productivity. Stevens challenges this, stating, “We were not created for the utilitarian purpose of getting work done… Rather, we were created as the fruit of God’s own love and for the delight of God” (p. 212). Similarly, A. J. Swoboda (2018) reminds us, “We do not love God because God is useful to us. We love God because God is worthy of being loved” (p. 19). Rest, therefore, is not about utility but delight. The creation story supports this view. Neal Plantinga (2002) explains that creation was “neither a necessity nor an accident” but an expression of God’s “imaginative love” (p. 23). It was “a way for God to spend himself” (p. 22). Stevens adds that God built “playfulness and wastefulness” into creation, pointing to countless seeds that never germinate and unseen flowers that bloom for no audience but God. He writes, “Some of God’s creation is nonutilitarian, useless. Nevertheless, it is there to be enjoyed—by God, if no one else is looking!” (p. 211). Stevens even argues that playfulness and holiness are inseparable. Sabbath rest, he says, is “wasted time, but holy waste to be redeemed in God’s own way” (pp. 223–224).

4. Entering God’s Delight. What can we understand about God’s playfulness and wastefulness in relation to rest? Out of his abundant joy, God invites us to rest as an invitation to delight. When God finished his work of creation, he declared, “It was good.” The Hebrew word for “good,” טוֹב (tov), conveys meanings such as “pleasant,” “glad,” and “happy” (Strong, 1890). This declaration reveals God’s delight in creation. Through Isaiah, God says, “If you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable…then you will find your joy in the Lord” (Isaiah 58:13–14). For the Israelites, who had endured 50 years of Babylonian exile, such an invitation might have seemed almost impossible. Life in exile must have felt profoundly devoid of delight. When God asked his people to find joy, it might have felt like he was asking too much. Yet, while the Israelites were delight-deficient, God was not. He is a God full of joy and delight. As Dallas Willard (1998) explains, “God leads a very interesting life and is full of joy. Undoubtedly, He is the most joyous being in the universe… We pay a lot of money to get a tank with a few tropical fish in it… but God has seas full of them, which He constantly enjoys” (pp. 62–63). Perhaps God’s intention is to restore our delight-deficiency through rest. Delight is a gift from a God who is deeply committed to the joy of his children. Eric Liddell, the British runner who won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games, famously said, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” In the same way, we might say, “God invites me to rest. And when I rest, I feel his pleasure.”

5. Intentional Inversion. Inversion is defined as “a situation in which something is changed so that it is the opposite of what it was before.” Applying this concept, rest becomes an act of inverting cultural beliefs that glorify busyness, productivity, achievement, and independence. In our hurried, tightly scheduled lives, rest offers a countercultural pause, breaking the fast-moving, overburdened patterns we so often accept as normal. In the creation story, God inverted the chaos of the earth, bringing order and beauty. Similarly, rest inverts our disordered lives, realigning them with God’s rhythm and design. Walter Brueggemann (2014) describes rest as an act of resistance—against anxiety, coercion, exclusivism, and multitasking. He offers rest as a liberating alternative for those seeking freedom from a culture defined by endless production and consumption, declaring:

You do not have to do more.

You do not have to sell more.

You do not have to control more.

You do not have to know more.

You do not have to have your kids in ballet or soccer.

You do not have to be younger or more beautiful.

You do not have to score more (p. 40).

Simply put, choosing to stop work is an intentional act of inversion—an act of defying the world’s demands. Donna Schaper (1999) calls rest “a spiritual strategy: a kind of judo.” She writes, “The world’s commands are heavy; we respond with light moves. The world says work; we play. The world says go fast; we go slow” (p. xii). Rest is not just a pause; it is a deliberate reversal of the world’s values, an intentional practice of living by God’s priorities instead.

Rest as a Foretaste of Eternity

Sabbath rest offers a glimpse of eternity. Hebrews 4:9-10 reminds us, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” This points us toward the ultimate fulfillment of rest in Christ, where we will fully experience God’s shalom in the new creation. Practicing Sabbath here and now allows us to savor a foretaste of that eternal peace. Through Sabbath, we align our lives with God’s eternal purposes, finding hope and strength for the present. It is a weekly reminder that our ultimate rest is found not in this world but in the presence of God, where all striving will cease, and all things will be made new.

Closing Thoughts

Jesus offers this timeless invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Rest is not merely a means to recharge but a sacred gift that aligns us with God’s vision of shalom—a state of flourishing, wholeness, and delight. Through rest, we step into God’s peace, catching a glimpse of the eternal joy that awaits us.

So, let’s accept this gift. Enter into God’s rest, and savor the foretaste of His eternal delight. Let Sabbath become not just a day but a posture of trust, joy, and communion with our creator.

References 

Banks, R. (2017), Daily work as divine vocation: A Christian perspective. Singapore: The Bible Society of Singapore.

Brueggemann, W. (2014). Sabbath as resistance: Saying no to the culture of now. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Heschel, A. J. (1951). The Sabbath. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Calvin, J. (1555). Sermon on the fourth commandment. In J. F. Thornton & S. B. Varenne (Eds). John Calvin Steward of God’s Covenant: Selected writings (pp. 333-347). New York: Vintage Books.

Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). Inversion. In Dictionary.Cambridge.org. Retrieved July 5,2021, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/inversion

Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Pseudo. In Collinsdictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved July 2, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/pseudo

Dawn, M. J. (1989). Keeping the Sabbath holy: Ceasing, resting, embracing, feasting. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

DeGroat, C. (2016). Wholeheartedness: Busyness, exhaustion, and healing the divided self. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

DeYoung, K. (2013). Crazy busy: A (mercifully) short book about a (really) big problem. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

Lewis, C. S. (1952). Mere Christianity. New York: Harper Collins

Pang, A. S. (2016). Rest: Why you get more done when you work less. New York: Basic Books.

Plantinga, C. (2002). Engaging God’s world: A reformed version of faith, learning, and living. Grand Rapids, MI: William B Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Schaper, D. (1999). Sabbath keeping. Boston, MA: Cowley.

Smith, J. K. A. (2005, May 16). Working at rest. Perspectives: A Journal of Reformed Thought. https://reformedjournal.com/working-at-rest/

Stevens, P. R. (2001). Seven days of faith: Every day alive with God. Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress.

Strong, J. (1890). Strong’s exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Abingdon Press.

Swoboda, A. J. (2018). Subversive sabbath: The surprising power of rest in a nonstop world (pp. 103-117). Grand Rapids, MI: BrazosPress.

Wardle, T. (2005). Wounded: How to find wholeness and inner healing in Christ. Abilene, TX: Leafwood.

Willard, D. (1998). The divine conspiracy: Rediscovering our hidden life in God. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco.

Winner, L. F. (2003). Mudhouse sabbath: An invitation to a life of spiritual discipline. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press.