I Need God's Rest Now

As a pastor, workdays are long and demanding: both mentally and physically.

My most recent Sunday morning started with arriving at church ahead of the sunrise, helping with both services, followed by a quick lunch with my family, and then supervising details of a community event that stretched out well into the night.

When I finally found sleep, the morning arrived too quickly bringing a new day of work. There are few benefits to this “rinse and repeat” type of existence, although this characterizes the lifestyle habits that many of us choose. Yet, people are designed for rest.

Is God’s rest different?

However, when God describes rest in the Bible is He talking about physical or mental rest? In the book of Genesis, there is talk of God’s sacred rest where our Lord had time to have an intimate relationship with Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:2–3 and Genesis 3:8).

However, since God is spirit (John 4:24) and doesn’t get physically tired, there must be a different theological meaning when contemplating about God’s rest. The book of Hebrews gives us a glimpse into God’s true rest when speaking about the land of Canaan.

“Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,?God again set a certain day, calling it ‘Today.’ This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’

“For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:6–11, NIV).

God’s promised rest

God is speaking about a promised rest. In this case, the pledged rest is for the Israelites coming out of the bondage in Egypt who trekked through the wilderness, only to fall short, through sin, to enter into that Promised Land.

By doing so, they fell short fulfilling the mission and consequently lost the benefits of God’s promise. The land of Canaan was to bring ease from their journey and would afford them time to commune with God.

Hebrews 4:3 confirms this when it says, “Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, ‘So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world.”

This same verse borrows from Psalm 95:11, written by King David who lived quite a few years after the time of Joshua and the journey out of Egypt. So, David could only be speaking of a future promise of rest and a totally different meaning altogether than a physical rest.

Further, the Bible says, “For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:8–9, NIV).

The implication given us in this passage is there still a rest coming in the future for the people of God. If Joshua had actually led them into the promised land, then David could not have spoken about it many years later.

The creation account of our world is described as six days of creation and one day of rest (Genesis Chapters 1 &2). The writer of Hebrews is using the exact same word and illustration as the Genesis account to describe those who will have a promised rest in the future when believers are in heaven.?Furthermore, in Hebrews 4:9 it is described as a “Sabbath rest”, describing a complete rest where we can just fully enjoy God.

What does this mean for us?

For many people, the day of rest has traditionally fallen on Sunday when believers use the day to remember God and abide in him.

It is a reminder that a time with God in heaven is to come for believers, but we are not yet fully resting as God intended at creation. Verse 11 says, “Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.”

A perfect rest in heaven is not going to require our diligence or any amount of labor on our part.

The land of Canaan was just an earthly picture of heaven and we are not in that Promised Land yet. Unfortunately, my life, even as a pastor, makes it prohibitive to enter into rest at times.

I constantly remind myself to give every Christian effort to be with God while our imperfect rest on earth pulls me away from Him. How often do your thoughts drift towards heaven throughout your busy day? The book of Hebrews is a reminder that you have left Egypt and are on the way to heaven, but you are not there yet!

Conclusion

You have the salvation of the cross giving you glimpses of the heaven that is to come and God promises that nothing keeps you out except unbelief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Earthly rest might elude you in the present, but the best still awaits you and that is the great message about God’s perfect rest.