The Need For Sabbath Rest

As the end of summer comes near, there's something that's on my mind. Many of us have returned from vacations with tan lines, tired feet, and overloaded suitcases filled with trinkets (Noah's lava rocks...), and yet, somehow, we don’t feel rested. I sometimes joke that we often need a vacation after our vacation. As we prepare for the kids to return to school, cooler weather, and the change in seasons, I want to reflect on the biblical and spiritual necessity of rest.  

Here’s the truth we often fail to understand. We’ve lounged on beaches and hiked through forests. We’ve snapped photos of waterfalls and sat around glowing campfires. But when the alarm clock rings Monday morning and life comes rushing back, we realize something: our bodies may have rested, but our souls are still weary. 

Jesus experienced human exhaustion. That’s why, in Mark 6:31, He said to His disciples: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” It was an invitation not just to slow down, but to withdraw intentionally in order to find soul-deep rest in His presence. 

The world offers rest in the form of escape: a vacation, a spa day, a binge-worthy show. But biblical rest is different. It’s not just absence of activity but instead it’s presence of peace. Jesus didn’t say, “Go rest.” He said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). True rest is found in relationship, not recreation. 

There’s a reason God wove Sabbath into creation (Genesis 2:3) and commanded His people to observe it (Exodus 20:8-11). Not because He wanted us to be legalistic, but because He designed us with limits and in our sinfulness we habitually extend our lives and our souls outside of those limits. When we ignore those limits, we place ourselves in jeopardy of burnout. 

Today, we live our lives to the edge of our limits. We were never meant to live at the speed of our inbox. We were never meant to fill every waking hour with work, soccer games, errands, and all the other things we convince ourselves are essential. We weren’t built for nonstop scrolling, sprinting, and striving. We were created for rhythms of work and worship, labor and lingering, doing and delighting. 

In today’s world, rest is almost seen as rebellious. When you say, “I will pause,” you are not being lazy, ignoring priorities, or neglecting life. You’re declaring that God is in control, not you. You’re trusting that the world won’t fall apart if you shut the laptop, power down the phone, or say “no” to one more meeting. You’re practicing peace over frenzy. 

Rest reminds us that we are not what we produce. We are who God says we are as His beloved, redeemed, Spirit-filled people. Rest reminds us that God is in control, not us. Rest allows the Word of God to permeate through the noise, agendas, and chaos.  

So, before the school buses start rolling, traffic thickens, and fall routines take over, I invite you to come to Jesus and rest. Maybe that means taking 30 minutes away from everything to be still before the Lord. Maybe it means turning a daily walk into prayer time. Maybe it means carving out one quiet evening with your Bible open, your phone off, and your heart ready. Maybe it is spending a weekend in a quiet cabin to pray and fast. Even Jesus needed to retreat to desolate places to pray (Luke 5:16). If the Son of God needed quiet communion with His Father, how much more do we? 

This end-of-summer moment is an invitation to breathe, reset, and return to the One who says, even today, “Come away… and rest a while.”