By Hope 103.2Friday 22 Mar 2024Real Hope – The PodcastPodcastsReading Time: 2 minutes
Rest is vital. God, our Father Creator, knew that rest, and the preparation for rest, is vital for our souls.
Key points
- Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’ (Mark 2:27 NIV)
- God knew, as He knit us together, we would need rest from our labours to thrive.
- Listen to the Sabbath Rest series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.
Rest has been a holy part of life from the beginning… ‘On the seventh day – with the canvas of the cosmos completed – God paused from His labor and rested.
Thus, God blessed day seven and made it special – an open time for pause and restoration, a sacred zone of Sabbath-keeping, because God rested from all the work He had done in creation that day’ (Genesis 2:2–3 VOICE).
“Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’” Mark 2:27 (NIV)
The pace and pressure of life can tell us there aren’t enough hours in the day for rest – deep soul-refreshing rest. It can tell us every hour must be filled with ‘work’ – commitments with family, friends, clubs, professional commitments, and then racing from one event to the next… [insert your pressures here].
The pace and pressure of life can tell us there aren’t enough hours in the day for rest – deep soul-refreshing rest.
Yet God knew, as He knit us together, we would need rest from our labours to thrive. On a biological level, after three days without sleep we start to hallucinate. Which leads me to consider, how long has it been since we gave our soul rest? How is this impacting our lives?
‘Then Jesus said, ‘The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren’t made to serve the Sabbath’ (Mark 2:27 MSG). More than just church on a Sunday – Sabbath rest is made to serve you, reminding you to refresh your soul and reconnect with God. Consider what restores your soul? When do you spend time connecting with God and building this relationship? What’s one simple thing you can implement today to intentionally create space for the rest you need to (re)build your soul?
Listen to this episode in the player above.
Sabbath Rest is a six-week series inviting listeners to incorporate this Biblical practice into their everyday life. Subscribe to the YouVersion plan.
Subscribe to listen to this series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.
Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro
Episode supplied with thanks to Natalie Bennett.
Originally published as ‘It’s Time to Refresh Your Soul’ in Real Hope, Jan-Feb 2024.