In part 1 about Resting in God, we defined Rest as A period of inactivity, repose, or solitude that that will result in refreshing, menta, physical, or spiritual calm, tranquility, relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles or disturbs. (adapted from Dictionary.com)
Intrinsically, our bodies understand that we NEED to rest. It is imperative to our physical well being. King David longed for rest: “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert. I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” Psalm 55:6. Haven’t you been at that crossroad? You would love nothing more than to stop the merry-go-round of your world so you can just rest. In the middle of the storm, you just want quiet and peace.
The Bible even mentions that evil spirits long for rest: When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Matt 12:43
Lest you think that you “don’t have time to rest,” remember that “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all his work.” Genesis 2:2 If God gave rest importance, so should you!
What are the Physical and Spiritual Benefits of Resting?
In the book, Sleep, It Does A Family Good. Dr. Archibald D. Hart, list some characteristics of sleep deprived people. I believe this applies to people who have failed to have enough rest in their lives also.
- Lose their ability to be joyful, lighthearted, and happy
- Tend to become irritable and negative
- Are at increased risk for accidents
- Show a dramatic reduction in creativity and productivity
- Have memory problems
- Have disordered social relationships, and
- Have greater risk for divorce. (Sleeplessness aggravates our brain’s anger center and disrupts marital relationships.)
In addition, he states that according to the Institute of Medicine, sleep loss is associated with other health consequences also:
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Depression
- Heart attacks and strokes
Again, I believe that we can connect these consequences to lack of rest in our lives. When your schedule is so full that you hardly have time for periods to rest or inactivity, you typically don’t eat healthy and you are constantly on edge because you are thinking about the next thing you have to do. Simple things that happen in life become major interruptions to your schedule and cause anxiety because you have no margin in your life. That is going to raise your cortisol levels which in turn are going to create some of the issues above.
Isaiah 28:11-13 explains that God spoke to His people about resting and they would not listen. It also gives the consequences for their lack of rest:
God will speak to this people, to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”— but they would not listen So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there— so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured. (Note: Remember in part 1, we talked about the Freedom that rest brings?)
If we are resting/sleeping more, then we can become/have:
- Joyful, Lighthearted and Happy
- Easygoing and Positive
- Less at risk for accidents
- Creative and Productive
- Better Memory
- Better Social Relationships
- Better Marriages
- Better Health
Those are factors we should strive for!!!
The Bible also mentions a few additional benefits of rest:
- We can be strengthened in our salvation and our trust in God through quiet times. The Holy Spirit has the opportunity to speak to us in a more clear way when we take the time to listen.
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” Is 30:15
- We become strengthened, encouraged, and more effective.
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace (King James Version says rest) and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. Acts 9:31
As you can see, there are so many benefits to having times of rest in your life. Part 3 of this series will begin to show you how you can get rest and what prevents it. Read Part 3 Here.
As we continue, ask God to start showing you the areas in your life that are effected by lack of rest. You might be surprised!
Until next time,
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