Rested and Blessed

05/10/2025

“Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
- Genesis 2:3 (NIV)

What a powerful picture: God, the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator, resting. Not because He was tired, but because His work was complete. Today’s verse is more than a transition verse, it’s a declaration of rhythm, rest, and reverence. God set apart the seventh day as something holy, unique, and blessed. And in doing so, He established a pattern for us to follow.

In today’s non-stop world, we wear busyness like a badge of honor. We hustle, push, and grind, often forgetting that God Himself paused, not out of exhaustion, but satisfaction. His rest wasn’t retreat, it was celebration.

Imagine an artist finishing a masterpiece and stepping back to admire it. That’s the sense we get here. God didn’t need rest; He modeled it. He knew we would need it, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And more than that, He called rest holy. That’s something we often miss: rest isn’t laziness; it’s worship. It’s trust. It’s saying, “God, I don’t have to run the world. You’ve got it.”

Jesus echoed this truth when He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” In other words, rest was God’s gift to us. A divine pause to realign, remember, and rejoice.

When we ignore the principle of rest, we’re not just disobeying a suggestion, we’re rejecting a blessing. We become spiritually thin, emotionally reactive, and physically weary. But when we embrace it, we find strength, clarity, and renewed joy.

Here are a few ways to live this out today.

Schedule a time this week where you intentionally stop and reflect on God’s goodness, no distractions.

Practice saying “no” to one unnecessary commitment to protect your time of rest.

Create a Sabbath rhythm, whether that’s a full day or a few intentional hours, where you unplug, worship, and enjoy life without pressure.

Take 15 minutes today to rest on purpose. Not to nap. Not to scroll. Just sit with God. Reflect, breathe deeply, and give thanks for His creative work and your place in it.

Father, thank You for showing us the beauty of rest. You didn’t need to stop, but You chose to, so we would learn to trust, pause, and celebrate Your work. Help me to honor Your rhythm, to make space for holy rest, and to find renewal in Your presence. I surrender my busyness and receive Your peace today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff

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