What My Restlessness Reveals About My Sinful Heart

Rest reveals what we believe about God. Do we trust Him enough to stop, or do we live like everything depends on us? I’m speaking to myself here. I’ve been so challenged by how often I live like the latter—spinning my wheels and rushing around to keep everything in motion, clinging to a false sense of control. Multiple times, God has gently forced me to rest through sickness and bedrest—and I have needed it.

When we rest, we are reminded of the freedom we now have in Christ–freedom from sin and death, given a new identity as children of God. In Genesis, we see that it is both ceasing from all work (Shabbat) and dwelling with God (nuakh), just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. When God commands the observance of the Sabbath (Deut 5), He ties it to the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery. It was a day to celebrate that deliverance and live as if they were already in the Promised Land. 

Today, it’s a reminder for us to celebrate what Christ has already done and to live as if we are in our forever home with Him—as we await that day, as we await the eternal resting place and the inheritance the Lord has given us, just as He promised a physical dwelling place for the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness.

Jesus came to restore the picture of rest that was destroyed by sin and death when Adam and Eve rebelled. Jesus became our perfect sacrifice, paying the debt we never could (2 Cor 5:21). He restores our relationship with God and invites us to dwell with Him again. Jesus declared that He is the fulfillment of the Sabbath. He is Lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8), and we find true rest in Him (Matt 11:28).

*Photo by Luz Brunetti on Unsplash.