Blessed Rest

From the Real Sabbath Devotional Series

Today I’m sharing devotion number one in the Real Sabbath Devotional Series: Blessed Rest. In this devotion, I share about the blessedness of rest as well as its importance as part of God’s design.

Here goes today’s devotion on this Blog and on the Podcast.

Blessed Rest – S3 E1

Focus Verse

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 2:3

Devotion

As busy mums, it can seem like rest is a luxury we can’t indulge in because it will imply repercussions – i.e. a backlog of work! But when we reflect on the fact that the Creator of the Universe rested to set an example for us, we see the supreme importance of rest. 

God created the sabbath to bless human beings, He did not create humans to serve the sabbath. So observing the sabbath is not about following legalistic do’s or don’ts – as Jesus Himself modelled – and it’s also not about observing a specific day, since we’re no longer under the law. Observing the sabbath as Christians under grace is about learning to stop our work, and trusting in the Sustainer of all things for provision, blessing, and resources. It’s about saying, “I did my part. I trust in You, God, to do yours.”

This is important for us as mothers both in terms of how we live and cope with life, but also for our children. We need to be mindful that while we’re to model hard work unto the Lord, we must also model rest as a form of trust in the Sovereign God who holds all things together. 

So, momma, let’s make it a habit to set aside time to rest. Let’s spend time in God’s word. Let’s enjoy the real Sabbath. 

Questions for reflection:

• Have you been taking time off to rest from your work?
• How can you model the sabbath rest with your kids?

Prayer

Lord, I pray that You would help us as mums to really give our time to You, to work hard, to work with excellence, and to do our part. But help us to also know when to stop, when it’s your will for us to rest, to rest our bodies, to rest our minds.

Help us to follow your Holy Spirit in how we should live and how we should rest. Help us Lord not to become legalistic about it, but rather understand how we can rest, and how we can set aside focused time with You – listening to your word, praying, spending time with You, and switching off from the things that would cause us to feel stressed, Lord. Help us to let go of our to-do lists, and spend focused time with You, and listen to Your word. Amen.