A Day of Rest (For the Weary)

(Stock photo)

 “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done” (Genesis 2:2).

According to a 2017 study by the World Health Organization, an estimated 264 million adults worldwide are negatively affected by anxiety in some form or fashion. In the United States, anxiety is the most common mental disorder affecting 40 million people (Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 2020). Finally, the WHO found that the prevalence of all mental disorders increased by 50% worldwide from 416 million to 615 million people between 1990 and 2013.When I look at the empirical data of our time – meaning data that I gain through my own personal experience – I see similar trends. More and more people are feeling stressed, anxious, and flat-out busy. The world seems like it’s moving faster and faster and faster… and we can’t keep up with it.

I wonder: wouldn’t we all benefit from observing God’s created day of rest? In Genesis, long before Christ appeared in Bethlehem and long before God chose Abraham to be the father of his chosen people, God established a day of rest for his entire creation for all of time. God purposely created and then modeled for humanity a day of rest, a ceasing from work, in order to recuperate. God certainly wasn’t tired, but he knew we would be!

I think if more people observed the day of rest our world would be less anxious and stressed. As a follower of Christ, we have much more to benefit from our Lord’s Day (Sunday) than simply physical rest. We worship God and take time each week to be still before him. Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing (Hebrews 10:25). Encourage your co-workers to take a break as well, and invite them to come and see what the Lord is doing at your local church this upcoming Sunday.


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Jesus).