Rest as an Act of Faith

There are two types of people in the world: those for whom rest is the default setting, and those who see rest as the enemy. And they usually marry each other.

Entropy pulls especially hard on the first type of person. They have big ideas and start projects with an admirable amount of energy. They explode off the starting blocks and are out of sight. But pretty soon, the thought of finishing the race feels daunting. Next thing you know, they’re napping under a shade tree in the company of Aesop’s hare. The race is abandoned, never to be resumed.

Meanwhile, the second person is still going. They’re not the tortoise, though; they’re a different breed of hare, more akin to Alice’s White Rabbit. Spastically scampering here and there, they consult their watches and bemoan how late they are. There’s never enough time to get everything done, even though they haven’t broken pace in 26 weeks, 3 days, and 9 hours. But they’re determined to finish the race or die trying. Most likely the latter.

A Better Way

Is one way superior to the other? While my actions blink like a neon arrow pointing to the second way, my heart knows it isn’t true. But that doesn’t mean the first way is better. Actually, they’re both pretty crummy approaches to life. Want to know the name of a third and better way? It’s called Sabbath.

The Lord of the Sabbath

I’m studying the book of Mark in my morning Bible reading, and I came across a beautiful reminder at the end of chapter two. It says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” In context, Jesus was putting some religious leaders in their place about the Sabbath commandment. Without dismissing the importance of the law, Jesus reminded them of its purpose: the Sabbath was made for man.

In other words, Jesus was reminding them that he, of all people, knows the importance of the command to keep the Sabbath day set apart. After all, he was there when the law was made. That’s why he’s also qualified to comment on the purpose of the law. The Sabbath was made for man. For man’s benefit. Because God knew man needed it.

An Example and a Command

What does it mean that the Sabbath was made for man? It means that the God who created our frail little bodies out of dust and breath, who holds us together with the word of his power, who sees exactly how limited we are—this God knew we would need rest. And so he gives us a command to help us.

Furthermore, God himself rested. He created the world in six days and then took a breather on the seventh. Was he exhausted? Nope. But he knew we would be, and so he showed us what it looks like to rest intentionally and regularly. And then, in case we thought it was just a nice idea for someone else, he commanded us all to follow suit.

Obedience Brings Provision

So if proper rest is a command and a necessity, then why is it so hard for us? Because Satan likes to distort all good things, even rest. He bends our hearts toward sloth or frenzy. That’s why Sabbath is really an act of faith. We can truly rest when we believe that our obedience will result in God’s provision.

The Bible is full of evidence that this is true. God proved it in the wilderness when Israel enjoyed leftover manna instead of working to gather more on the Sabbath. He proved it at Jericho when he knocked down the city’s walls on the seventh day while Israel stood by and watched. He proved it at Midian when he dwindled Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300 and still wiped out the hordes of enemy warriors for them. Again and again God has proven that if we obey him, he will provide—even in the area of rest.

A Way to Thrive

So is God planning to strike me down if I cook a meal or cut the grass on a Sunday? No, I don’t believe so. The point of this passage in Mark is that God cares more about the motivations of our hearts than a set of external, man-made rules. The Pharisees had oodles of specific tasks that people were forbidden to do on the Sabbath, but Jesus refined their understanding of the law’s purpose: it’s not there to threaten us but to help us thrive.

Our hectic laboring and refusal to rest are really a form of self-sabotage. God designed us to  work hard and rest purposefully, and when we abuse that design, we can’t flourish. Our refusal to rest is also a way of proclaiming ourselves the lord of the Sabbath. We think we can determine what’s best, but only the Maker has that authority. He has kindly decreed a day of rest for each of us, and we disregard it to our own detriment.

The Final Rest

I don’t know which end of the Aesop’s hare/White Rabbit spectrum you fall on, but I do know the command is the same for all of us: work hard, and then rest in faith. Take heart, my friend. A day of rest is coming for those who love the Lord. When we dwell with the lord of the Sabbath, our hearts will truly be at rest—finally, perfectly, and forever. Let us labor to enter that rest.