In the very first pages of Scripture, God teaches us something we often forget. After six days of creating the heavens and the earth, He rested on the seventh. Genesis 2:2–3 says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 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.”

God was not tired. He does not grow weary. So why did He rest? He rested to set a pattern for His people. He built into creation a rhythm of work and rest. Just as the sun rises and sets, just as seasons change, so too God designed life to include times of labor and times of stopping.

When God gave the Ten Commandments to Israel at Mount Sinai, He included this rhythm. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:8–10). For the Israelites, this was not only about rest for their bodies. It was about worship. It was about remembering who they belonged to.

Israel had been slaves in Egypt where rest was impossible. Pharaoh demanded endless work. God reminded them that in His kingdom they were free. They did not have to live as slaves to work, fear, or striving. They could rest because He was their provider.

The Sabbath was more than a rule. It was a gift. It reminded Israel of creation and of salvation. Deuteronomy 5:15 ties the Sabbath to the Exodus: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” God was saying, “You are not slaves anymore. You are mine. Rest in Me.”

When Jesus came, He showed that the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. He healed on the Sabbath. He reminded His followers that He is Lord of the Sabbath. In Him we find the deeper rest the Sabbath pointed to all along.

Today, we are not bound to the Sabbath law in a legalistic sense. Yet the principle of rest still matters. God built it into creation. He modeled it Himself. He commanded it for His people’s good. When we rest, we declare that God is in control and that we trust Him to provide.

Rest is not laziness. Rest is worship. Rest is remembering that God created, God redeemed, and God sustains. The gift of rest is a reminder that He is God and we are not.

When you’re not sure how to pray, A.C.T.S. gives you a simple path to follow: Adore, Confess, Thank, and Ask.

Adoration: Lord, You are the Creator who made the heavens and the earth, and You are the one who made the rest holy.

Confession: I confess that I often rush, worry, and fill my days without stopping to trust You.

Thanksgiving: Thank you for the gift of rest, for freedom from striving, and for Jesus who gives true rest for my soul.

Supplication: Teach me to slow down, to worship You in rest, and to trust You as my provider.

In Jesus name, Amen

“On Repeat” by Hillsong United

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Zach and the Daily Devotion team