Dear Church,

There’s a small but powerful verse in Hebrews 4:9: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” 

As believers, we’ve entered into God’s ultimate Sabbath through Christ, resting from the exhausting work of trying to earn our salvation. The cross settled that. But even though our souls are anchored in that eternal rest, we still need to practice regular Sabbath rhythms in our weekly lives. Why? Because our hearts are prone to drift. Our schedules get loud. And our culture pushes us to prove ourselves constantly.

We live in a world that praises busyness. And sadly, even our Christianity can start to feel like just one more thing to do, serve, show up, lead, host, attend. Even our Sundays are pack with “church meetings.”  But in all the activity, many of us skip something essential: Rest.  Not just physical rest, but deep soul-rest in Jesus.  Dallas Willard once said we jump straight into the busy parts of the Christian life, serving others, joining groups, and showing up early for ministry, but we skip the ‘rest’ part.  And if we don’t rest rightly in Christ, all our work for Him becomes distorted.

So why does God command us to rest?

1. To remember God is our center.
Sabbath isn’t just about stopping work – it’s about re-centering our hearts. We weren’t created primarily for productivity; we were made for communion with God. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Stillness is not laziness; it’s sacred space. It’s a deliberate pause to remember who God is and who we are in Him. Sabbath shifts our focus from what we do to ‘whose’ we are. We don’t pause because the work is finished, we pause because He is still on the throne. We say with our rest: “You are God, and I am not.  You are at the center – not my job, my plans, or even my ministry.  You hold all things together, including me.”

2. To remember that God is our Savior.
In Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Moses reminds Israel to observe the Sabbath to remember that God delivered them from slavery without their help. Moses is saying, “If God took care of your greatest need all by himself, don’t you think you can trust him to take care of your day-to-day needs now?” Sabbath is a weekly declaration: You didn’t save yourself. You don’t sustain yourself. We rest because we are no longer slaves; we are sons and daughters.

3. To remember God is our Provider.
In ancient cultures, no one took days off; they couldn’t afford to. They worked, worked, and worked. Into this culture, God told His people to take one anyway. Why? Because he promised to provide. In our culture of hustle, Sabbath boldly declares: “I trust God to carry what I lay down.” 

Let’s stop crowding our Sundays with errands, back-to-back events, or last-minute catch-up. Instead, let’s give God our full attention. Try these simple Sabbath rhythms:

• Begin the day in quiet, no phone, just Scripture and prayer.
• Take a walk (alone or with your spouse) in gratitude.
• Gather with God’s people for worship, unhurried, undistracted.
• Make space to reflect, to breathe, to enjoy God and the people God has put in your life.

Remember church, Rest isn’t weakness, it’s worship.  It’s not a break from following Jesus; it’s how we follow well.

Be Encouraged,
Mathews

Mathews