February 26th, 2026
Thursday, February 26
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
~ Genesis 2:2-3
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
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
~ Genesis 2:2-3
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
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Rest is not just a good idea for better productivity. Our culture has been noticing we have a rest problem, and several studies have shown that rest results in better health and more productivity. These studies come from a place of concern that something’s not right with the way we’re living life. While these studies point out how rest may be good, the reason God calls us to rest in Scripture is not merely for better health and for sure not more productivity. Rest exists because God is God, so that our lives would revolve around God. If we’re not taking God seriously on rest, our lives will revolve around something else, no matter what we claim to “believe.” We all know it.
In contrast to the Pharaohs of the day or the other gods of the ancient world, the God of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Father of Jesus Christ and giver of the Spirit – this God does not demand constant work. Other gods might rest, but then they would demand work from humans while they rested. The God and Father of Jesus Christ does something else: he invites us to rest with him. Otherwise it can be too easy for humans to start thinking that they are in charge. And that’s bad.
In Egypt, God’s people worked long hours, under the burden of “productivity” (just read Exodus 5!). This is what happens when humans are (or think they are) in charge. One of the main things God makes clear is that he is different from Pharaoh. God builds it into their rhythms of living so that they would always remember it: the Sabbath command.
Think of it: the God of Jesus Christ commands that we rest. If God does this, why would we insist that it is not necessary, or worse, a waste of time? Are we even able to see what we’re doing? We’re saying a big, fat NO to a good God’s command that we rest. Somehow following the demands of our culture is more important. Or we think we can do it better by not resting. God laughs. Maybe God is sad. Or both?
This is the logic of the story of Scripture. In the creation story, God created a world and then God rested. He built restfulness into the fabric of creation. It’s part of the rhythm of how things are made to be. When we live restless lives, we are actually fighting against how the world was made, and we’re fighting against the God who made it that way.
We all want the “blessed” life. God wants it for us. But it is not found in following the demands of the American Pharaoh of productivity. It’s not according to our human schedules. That’s the point. God’s blessed life is found in the rhythmed life that revolves around God’s schedule. It’s in a life that includes a physical reminder that we are not the ones who make this world go. And because God is good, we can rest. As Keith Green put it in his song: “He’ll take care of the rest.”
Rest is not just a good idea for better productivity. Our culture has been noticing we have a rest problem, and several studies have shown that rest results in better health and more productivity. These studies come from a place of concern that something’s not right with the way we’re living life. While these studies point out how rest may be good, the reason God calls us to rest in Scripture is not merely for better health and for sure not more productivity. Rest exists because God is God, so that our lives would revolve around God. If we’re not taking God seriously on rest, our lives will revolve around something else, no matter what we claim to “believe.” We all know it.
In contrast to the Pharaohs of the day or the other gods of the ancient world, the God of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Father of Jesus Christ and giver of the Spirit – this God does not demand constant work. Other gods might rest, but then they would demand work from humans while they rested. The God and Father of Jesus Christ does something else: he invites us to rest with him. Otherwise it can be too easy for humans to start thinking that they are in charge. And that’s bad.
In Egypt, God’s people worked long hours, under the burden of “productivity” (just read Exodus 5!). This is what happens when humans are (or think they are) in charge. One of the main things God makes clear is that he is different from Pharaoh. God builds it into their rhythms of living so that they would always remember it: the Sabbath command.
Think of it: the God of Jesus Christ commands that we rest. If God does this, why would we insist that it is not necessary, or worse, a waste of time? Are we even able to see what we’re doing? We’re saying a big, fat NO to a good God’s command that we rest. Somehow following the demands of our culture is more important. Or we think we can do it better by not resting. God laughs. Maybe God is sad. Or both?
This is the logic of the story of Scripture. In the creation story, God created a world and then God rested. He built restfulness into the fabric of creation. It’s part of the rhythm of how things are made to be. When we live restless lives, we are actually fighting against how the world was made, and we’re fighting against the God who made it that way.
We all want the “blessed” life. God wants it for us. But it is not found in following the demands of the American Pharaoh of productivity. It’s not according to our human schedules. That’s the point. God’s blessed life is found in the rhythmed life that revolves around God’s schedule. It’s in a life that includes a physical reminder that we are not the ones who make this world go. And because God is good, we can rest. As Keith Green put it in his song: “He’ll take care of the rest.”
For reflection:
God of goodness and life, you built rhythms of rest into the creation of this world. You set your people free so they would live under a God who commands rest. May we live as your people, who rest in your care, and may we build this into our lives. Amen.
- Read the following Scriptures about Sabbath: Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-14; Isaiah 58:13-14.
- Is stopping and resting difficult for you? Take time to consider why. What’s really at stake for you if you actually took time to stop and rest? What are you afraid of?
- What benefit might this bring to your life and to your family?
- For those with kids: Talk about the importance of rest. If we don’t sleep we might be in a bad mood, anxious, or not function well. Talk about how when we think we have to do everything by ourselves, we end up being worn out and frustrated. What if God doesn’t want us to try to do everything? What if trusting God means trusting that God will take care of us?
God of goodness and life, you built rhythms of rest into the creation of this world. You set your people free so they would live under a God who commands rest. May we live as your people, who rest in your care, and may we build this into our lives. Amen.
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