4 Practical Ways to Find Daily Rest
Rest - we all need more of it.
Some of us would argue that we get enough rest, saying “but I get 8 hours of sleep a night.” However, that is not the type of rest we are referring to. Instead, we are going to dig much deeper into the type of rest the LORD calls us into when we are, yes - awake.
Living in rest. And to live in rest, we must make it a lifestyle.
The truth is, we more often than not tend to live a life made up of small, fragmented pieces of rest. We see in Matthew 7:24-27 that no one can stand firmly on a foundation made of anything fragmented - sand, straw, stones. Instead, we need to learn to stand on a solid spiritual foundation:
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
And friends, by His grace, God did not leave us wondering what or who this rock is - our Savior Jesus Christ.
Having Jesus as our firm foundation means we allow Him to pervade into every area of our lives, including rest. When stressors in life hit, we must ask ourselves this: “what or where have I been seeking to feel more at rest?” The truth is when we start feeling insecure in who we are in Christ, it leads us to striving.
How do we shift our hearts and minds from,
“If this project for work is successful, then I will be able to rest”
“Once I hit my financial goal, then I will feel at rest”
“When I am finally engaged, then I will feel at rest”
“After I lose 15lbs, then I will feel at rest”
to,
“I already feel at rest, because Jesus has shown me grace.”
God understands our humanness. He created us! He knew what the demands of the world would be like, the limit of our energy, and the kind of schemes Satan would lure us with. He also knew what sins we would commit and when. Because of this, He therefore knew that we would be exhausted and burdened by our sins, He knew that we would need something to refuel our tank, and He knew that we, above all earthly creatures, would be in need of grace - of rest.
And so, God gave us rest but we have to be willing to receive it. But how do we receive it?
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28
Are we burdened? Yes. Are we weary? Yes. The solution? Go to Jesus with all that is on our shoulders.
Rest is an understanding of grace. Grace says “all that you are I will take instead, and all that I am I will give to you.” It’s a grace we don’t deserve that Jesus offers anyway. Grace is our secure salvation.
It’s hard to feel relaxed when our sin is laden on our shoulders. Until we ask God to show us His grace, only then will we be released into rest.
We must go to Jesus to find enduring rest, not just once but all the time. Rest requires intentionality, and it must become a way of life. The circumstances of our lives will never stop changing. To be able to withstand both the frightening storms and the light rains, we must stand on the rock that Jesus has placed under our feet every day. Don’t step down from the rock when the sun comes out - we must remain at all times. Our lives can change as swiftly as the weather, and we do not want to be taken off guard or swept away. When we have our feet firmly planted, we won’t sink or crumble, because The Rock never does.
Christians, the way we find rest is a stark contrast to the way the world does. Our results are different too. Similar to how God placed The Rock (Jesus) under our feet, we have the gift of inviting people into this kind of rest - the kind that radiates from us because we live this way without hesitation or effort. Below are four practical ways to help you find more daily rest:
1) Read:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” - John 1:1
If God is the Word, and God provides rest, then we should be going to the Word for rest. 15 minutes of reading our Bible in the morning will provide more rest than that extra 15 minutes of sleep. This is a way we directly meet with God every day, it’s such sweet sweet time isn’t it? We inhale the scripture’s truth and His promises, exhaling our worries and everything troubling our mind. When we start our mornings with this time, it’s easier to walk in rest throughout our day - His truths and promises fresh on our mind. We are reminded that The Rock is still underneath us.
2) Enjoy:
“It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life - this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.” - Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
Enjoy. Rest allows us to enjoy the work we have done and things we have accomplished. After God made the world, He rested to look back and enjoy his creation. If God did this, we are surely not exempt (Hebrews 4:10). A synonym of enjoy is love. Brothers and sisters, let’s love the life God has given us. One way to challenge ourselves in this is to actually budget for it. Yes, be intentional in planning a fun trip or times to rest! Let’s learn to enjoy living on The Rock.
3) Sabbath:
“...the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” - Mark 2:27
It could be Sunday or it could be Tuesday, either way it’s in our best interest to reserve and observe a Sabbath day. God has encouraged us to do so because He knew we would need time to rest. A Sabbath was never designed to be a burden or another checkbox on our “Christianity list.” Rather, it’s a day to call attention away from earthly concerns and focus on rest to enjoy the present and His presence. Here are some helpful ideas for your Sabbath day:
Work hard enough during the week so that you can rest on your Sabbath day
Don’t go to the gym if you go on a weekly basis
Spend quality time with family
Enjoy the outdoors
Go to church and worship with community (if on a Sunday)
Enjoy a current hobby, or find a new one you love
Avoid work email
4) Trust:
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” - Isaiah 26:3
This one always seems to be the hardest. Here's how to make it easier - don’t depend on yourself. Remember, we can only lift small stones, sand, and straw. Sometimes we might even be able to lift a big stone, saying to ourselves, “surely, this will keep me safe from the flood.” But when the flood comes and we look out on the horizon, our stomach’s drop. “It’s not strong enough, I won’t be safe!” we shout.
On the other hand, let’s imagine Mount Augustus, the world’s largest rock. It is found in Western Australia and stands 3,629 ft above sea level, covers an area of 18.51 sq. miles, and has a ridge nearly 5 miles long. It’s massive, and it's incredibly strong. How might our response be different if we stood on Mount Augustus amidst a flood? It would be vastly different: “this flood won’t harm me, just look at what I am standing on!”
It is so difficult for our human brains to completely understand the sturdiness and sheer power of God. But know this - Mount Augustus is microscopic, brittle, tiny, and infinitesimally small compared to the rock Jesus offers us to stand on, compared to God. The way we can find rest is by trusting the bedrock under our feet at all times.
We pray all the time to be more like Jesus. Jesus - the One who was sleeping on a boat during a furious storm. His disciples feared the massive waves would drown them, so they woke Jesus up and cried out for help.
Rest tests our obedience. Rest says “Are you going to trust that you won’t drown? Are you going to create boundaries for yourself in your work or with your social life? Are you going to commit to keeping those boundaries? Do you believe that God will actually bless you if you actually take a break every once and awhile?”
Jesus then rebuked the winds and waves, and immediately everything was completely calm.
He is in control and He displays this to His disciples - to us. If we remember nothing else, let’s remember this: if we find ourselves floundering in exhaustion from this world - take time to rest in the grace Jesus has given us.
