Most of us tend to think of rest as a necessary evil. Rest is actually ’joy’. We are blessed to be given an opportunity to regenerate each night.

~ Lisa Blair

Rest is an elusive trait in this society. We stay up until the wee hours working, or in a trance brought on by social media. We awake early to get a head start on the new day, and while we are asleep, it is a restless sleep. Rem sleep evades us. When we wake up, we often feel sleep-deprived. There is no joy in the process. This is not what God planned for us, in fact the last day of creation was the Sabbath, the day of rest. God created the world and humankind with the intention that we find joy in rest, just as he found joy in creating the heaven’s, earth, and humans.

Psalms 149:5, NLT shares that we are to rejoice in the Lord and sing for joy as we lie in our beds ready to rest and sleep through the night.” Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.”

Jesus encourages us to ask for rest. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites all to come to Him who are weary and burdened, and He will give you rest. In Psalms 62:1, David writes, “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him.” And, in Psalm 4:8 he writes, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make we dwell in safety.”

Psalm 23:1-3, implores us to come near to the Lord, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack for nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.”

In Hebrews 4:9-10, the scripture points out that a Sabbath-rest is for the people of God; and that anyone who enters God’s rest from their work is in alignment with God who did the same on the final day of creation. So, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:11.

God is not only concerned about Sabbath rest, but about all rest. He wants us to experience joy as we lay down to go to sleep and rebuke any worry or anxiety that will take our joy. Honor the Lord through the rest He has proved. Renew your mind, body, and soul through sufficient nightly rest and enter your new day refreshed.

In closing, when you lay down to sleep, declare, I will not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. I will rest my head encompassed in the peace and joy of my Lord, in Jesus Name, Amen. (Taken from Matthew 6:34)

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Resources — Bible.com