Finding Peace Through Rest

From Advent: A 25 Day Countdown to Christmas on YouVersion

Yesterday, we looked at the peace that comes from being in God’s family. When we know whose family we belong to, we can experience a peace that the world can’t take away.

During this time of the year, you’re probably feeling pulled in endless directions—Christmas parties, classroom celebrations, family traditions, and the pressure to find the perfect gifts are just a few that might come to mind.

Peace is a state of wholeness, calm, and renewal between us, God, and others. But if we’re not careful, we can miss the opportunity to truly experience peace because we’re so distracted by our calendars and commitments, even if they’re filled with good things.

If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new. I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect. – Leviticus 26:3-13 ESV

Under completely different circumstances thousands of years ago, God gave His people the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:1-17 ESV – And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

• “You shall have no other gods before me.
• “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
• “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
• “Remember the Sabbath day, to 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. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
• “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
• “You shall not murder.
• “You shall not commit adultery.
• “You shall not steal.
• “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
• “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

He was talking to a group of people who had been in slavery for over 400 years, and had come to believe that their value was tied to the number of bricks they could produce in any given day or week.

And while that belief was likely deeply ingrained in the way they viewed themselves, God offered them a better option. He gave them a series of laws to establish peaceful and harmonious relationships among their communities, and in their own personal relationships with God.

One of these commands includes taking a full day of rest called the Sabbath. In the New Testament, Jesus reiterates the importance of the Sabbath by reminding people that it wasn’t created so we would have another chore to do, but so we would have time to worship God and enjoy the good things He has given us—like a meal with friends and family, or relaxing and appreciating life.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” – Exodus 16:4-5 ESV

While a full day of rest might feel impossible right now, you can still find ways to start small. You might choose to listen to worship music on your morning commute, or spend an extra five minutes after you read the Bible to sit in God’s presence and ask Him questions about what you learned.

Instead of getting on your phone when your alarm goes off, you could choose a slower start to your day before scrolling social media.

When we take a day of rest (or even an intentional 15-minute pause to our day), we admit we can’t get everything we need on our own. God gives peace through work and rest. We need both. Peace is His gift, but we must choose to accept it and trust that God will give us everything we need for today.

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. – Mark 2:27 ESV

Pause and Pray:

Father, thank You for Your generosity toward me and for the gift of rest. Help me to slow down and find peace in the midst of my frantic work and worries. You are more than enough for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reflect or Discuss:

How will you practice rest as a way of experiencing peace today?