God's Abundant Gift of Rest - Your Nightly Prayer - June 23rd
God's Abundant Gift of Rest
by Amber Ginter
TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE
“So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation” (Genesis 2:2-3, NLT).
SOMETHING TO PONDER
I never thought rest was a gift.
After over a decade of trauma, my mind was constantly running. Anxiety gripped my heart, and fear filled my mind like an overflowing coffee cup. There was always another task to complete, devotion to write, or a habit I needed to implement to live my best life. Resting was the eleventh plague. Based on everyone’s actions around me, they thought so, too. Who has time to rest?
Exodus 20: 8–11 is perhaps the most broken commandment in our generation: “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8, NLT). Why? Because each week, “You have six days for your ordinary work,” (Exodus 20:9, NLT), and for most of us, eight hours a day barely makes a dent in our to-do list.
Without a thought, we toss the rest of this passage like an optional piece of candy: “But the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God...” (Exodus 20:10, NLT). Who needs Sabbath, we ask ourselves. This is the 21st century, we retort. But maybe those who ignore this command most need it more than anyone else—myself included.
While the practice of the Sabbath originated in the Old Testament and may look very different for us today, it’s an essential part of rest we’re encouraged to apply to our lives. How do I know this? Genesis 20:11 says, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested.”
If you read Isaiah 40:28, this might sound contradictory: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God... He will not grow tired or weary...” (NIV). But God and His Word never contradict (2 Timothy 2:13). Which means one powerful thing: Rest is for us.
In May of 2024, I resigned from teaching to pursue full-time authorship. I also felt His immense call to rest. Instead of listening, I threw myself into the next season without taking time to reflect on the past. I had surgery for stage 2 endometriosis, attended 3 writing conferences, and landed an agent. Again, I must ask: Who has time for rest? God’s answer shocked me: We all do.
Rest is a choice. Every day, we make a billion choices. Why can't one of those be to make time for what matters most?
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Dear God,
Rest doesn't come easily for most of us. In a hustle culture that identifies our worth by our productivity, the temptation to do more is constant. Even for those of us who struggle with mental or physical ailments, remind us that true and eternal rest is possible—if we're willing to embrace the change, and press in to all you have to offer.
In Jesus' Name we pray,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Why does God command rest even when we feel too busy? Set aside 5 minutes a day to talk to God about this, and ask him to show you where you can make time for rest in your life.
2. How does your body or soul signal when you’ve ignored rest? Instead of ignoring your body, try listening.
3. What would it look like to view rest as holy? Have a friend or mentor help you redefine this.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/VictorTongdee
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