A gallup poll conducted in August of 2014 reported that American adults work an average of 47 hours per week, almost a full workday longer than the standard 9 to 5 calls for. Nearly 40 percent of full-time employees report working 50 or more hours per week. Add to that the daily responsibilities of raising families, long commutes, grocery shopping, laundry, social engagements, entertainment, and family obligations and it’s easy to understand why many Americans are exhausted.
But overcommitted schedules which force distraction, irritation, and perpetual exhaustion isn’t what God intends for us. In fact, God modeled a different way. Genesis 1 contains the Creation account, which you might say was a pretty productive workweek. But if we ignore how God responded on the seventh day we do so at our own peril:
Genesis 2:1-3 says, “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.”
By embracing rest, we stop and pay attention. To observe the Sabbath is to set aside a day of rest and to imitate God’s pattern in creation (Exodus 20:8-11) and recall God’s faithfulness (Deuteronomy 5:15).
Constant busyness will rob us of what matters most. There are facets of God we will only experience through being still. The Scriptures speak to this:
- “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
- “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23:2)
- “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength.” (Isaiah 43:31a)
God has given us biblical permission to rest. In fact, He commands us to. Our bodies weren’t designed to work constantly with no down time. Neither were our souls. Remember, Sabbath doesn’t have to be on Sunday. Your Sabbath might be on a Tuesday. Clear your schedule. Let some things go. Do whatever is necessary, but schedule some rest. You’ll be glad you did.
