Recently my wife and I got away for a couple days. It was a much needed time away to simply escape the everyday routine. We felt renewed and refreshed in the arms of nature. We came back recharged because of the relaxation of cutting free of the stress. 

We are to do this “cutting free” once each week on the Sabbath, a day intended to honor our Holy Father for His work in creating this world we live in as well as our very selves. And yet, in this world in these times we find it so difficult to actually rest as He commanded us to do. 

Why is that? 

Are we actually so busy that we cannot figure out how to take a day off? Or are there other excuses we create to avoid this seventh day?

Genesis 2:2 states, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work which He had done.”

If our Holy Father rested, then should we not also rest?

I hope everyone agrees the answer is a resounding “Yes.”

Webster's dictionary defines sleep as, “the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored.”

Webster’s dictionary then defines rest as, “1. A bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities. 2. Freedom from activity or labor.”

Our Father intends for us to take this day of rest, this sabbath, this day of relaxation so our bodies will function the way He designed them to work best. MedicalNewsToday.com states the top benefit to proper sleep and rest is “better memory and performance.” That is what God intends—better performance of our bodies. 

As for rest, there are different types of rest. According to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, there are seven types of rest. She lists them as physical, mental, social, spiritual, sensory, emotional, and creative. The details are too extensive to describe here. However, the bottom line comes down to the fact that you may be sleeping well at night, yet not resting, which is different as supported by their definitions.

Resting is, in fact, allowing your body to recharge in any or all the areas it needs to recharge. We need the recharge. I guess that is why our Father commanded us to take that rest. 

Exodus 16:26 states, “Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.” This is when He started providing the manna for the people of Israel to eat. This routine was designed to get them into the habit of resting on the Sabbath, of doing nothing. As we know from the following verses, some of the people still tried looking for the manna on the Sabbath, only to discover none available. 

In Exodus 23:12, He tells us, “... on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant, and the stranger may be refreshed.” We need rest so that our whole life may be refreshed. That may be our own selves, or even our animals. 

Numerous times throughout the book of Exodus, He tells us to rest on the Sabbath. The Ten Commandments even list, “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.” It commands this for us, our children, our animals, and even to strangers within our gates. He intended this not just so we are honoring Him, but for us to recharge in the seven above mentioned ways so that we can further perform what we need for us and for the Father. 

We need to be mentally alert when listening for the Father. We need to be spiritually charged when performing His tasks set for us. We need to be physically rested to walk the path He has set before us. 

The getaway my wife and I took helped us recharge where we needed. Yet, the Sabbath helps us recharge even further than we did on our trip. As we journey on the path our Father set before each of us, let us always remember to place our burdens upon the Lord, trust His guidance, lay down in His green pastures, and recharge ourselves clear into our very soul.

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