By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.  Genesis 2:2-4

It is clear in scripture that we are to live our lives to the fullest in service to our Lord and fellow man.  It is how we fulfill our responsibilities as good ambassadors, stewards and children of God.  We are called to run with endurance as one striving to win the prize.  Yet God also understands how He designed us and that part of living well is rest, respite and repose.  In one sense these are all synonyms as reflected by the definitions of rest that I have found.  However, they each carry a slightly different connotation.

Rest: an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity.  God worked as He created the world and continues to work as He rules as Lord over all.  He designed us for work as well; we are to care for and have dominion over the earth.  When sin entered the world: work became more demanding and frustrating; bodies began to age and become ill; and relationships became more difficult which hindered the concept of helping each other and working together. As a result, the need for rest was intensified.  While God calls us to be diligent in both our physical and spiritual labors, He also understands our need for rest and set an example for us after He finished His creation.  Further, He commanded the Jewish nation to rest on the Sabbath day to encourage a pattern of rest.  In His kindness, He extended the commandment to servants, cattle and strangers.  In other words, He took the need to restore our bodies seriously and intentionally set times aside for recovery to be a blessing for all.  Part of living well is resting well and taking care of the bodies that God gave us.  That requires developing habits that allow our bodies to relax and rejuvenate.  Admittedly, there may circumstances beyond our control that prevent us from getting the rest that we need, but to the extent that we are able, we need to be as intentional in our rest as we are in our work so that we can maintain a balanced life style.

Respite:  a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.  Christ warned us that we would see difficulty in this world (John 16:33); Peter warns us that Satan prowls looking for those open to attack (1 Peter 5:8) and Paul reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6).   Not only do work and trials wear on our bodies, but they wear on our souls as well.  Consequently, we must be as careful to provide a respite for our souls to keep them strong for life, for protection and for the battle.  Here there are at least three ways that we can provide respite for our souls.  First, as Christ showed us, regular communion with God.  Meeting with our Lord consistently through scripture and prayer rejuvenates our souls, strengthens our spirit and our faith, and provide clarity as we face the trials that come our way.  Second, a more passive version, is accepting God’s encouragement as He provides it amidst the trials, the training and the maturing of our souls.  After Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, God the Father sent angels to minister to Him (Matthew 4:11).  While He may or may not send angels to us to minister and encourage us, He does provide periods of rest, encouragement through fellowship with other believers, and kindnesses that only we can recognize as His loving care and nurturing.  The latter may be a “random act of kindness”, bringing a passage of scripture before us that  holds new meaning in the current circumstance, or some other blessing that only we can recognize because it is personal, perfectly timed and because we have developed a bond with our Lord.  Finally, there is the restoration that comes through the fellowship with other believers:  those who walk with us in our trials, those who visit or write to us to encourage us; and those whose company allows us to be at ease and feel safe.  Jonathan did this for David (1 Samuel 23:16) and Paul asks the church in Rome to pray for his release so the he can be refreshed through fellowship with them (Romans 15:32-33.)  While at the time of need, this too may be passive, it can only happen if we have done the work beforehand by engaging with others, developing relationships as well as reaching out to help and encourage others in their time of need.  Taking the time to rest, rejuvenate and strengthen our souls is likely the most important concern for our wellbeing as it has implications not only for this life but also for the one to come.

Repose:  a state of rest, sleep, or tranquility.  It is incredibly difficult to refresh our bodies and souls if our minds are not tranquil as well.  Finding tranquility for our minds is often incredibly difficult; however, it too is imperative for our welfare.  Throughout the New Testament we are reminded in various ways to be at peace.  The foundation for tranquility is trust in God alone.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”  (Proverbs 3:5)  We trust His complete sovereignty…that He is able.  We trust His wisdom…that He knows what is best.  We trust His love…that all is for our good.  We trust His strength…that He will protect us; that He will especially guard our souls.  It is a struggle for all of us, but as we grow in grace it becomes easier to trust.  When we find it difficult, we do well to mimic the father in Mark 9 and cry out “I believe, help my unbelief”.  When we trust, we are able to turn over all of our anxious thoughts.  Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 55:22, and 1 Peter 5:6-8 all remind us to present our requests and cast our burdens on the Lord.  We must lay them down and fight the urge to retrieve them in a moment of weakness.  As we relinquish our burdens to God we are also urged to take up Christ’s burden “for it is light”.  (Matthew 11:28-30)  That burden is the peace of Christ (John 14:27 and Colossians 3:15); we must both accept it and work to maintain it if we to receive the benefit of it.  When we do, it will provide tranquility and a sense of wellbeing even in the midst of our trials.  Part of allowing the peace of Christ to rule in our lives is to “take every thought captive”.  (2 Corinthians 10:5)  In order to do that, we must address the past, present and future.  The past only has value in the sense that we can learn from it. We can’t change it or fix it and ruing it is not productive.  The best option is to learn from the mistakes and move forward.  While living in the present is always the best option, here too we need to manage our thoughts.  We must accept what we cannot change and quit trying to control what we cannot influence.  Those things that can be changed must be done by God’s leading rather than by human understanding, willfulness or sin.   Our desire to control often extends into the future as well.  While planning is good, we should not get so deeply rooted in it that we cannot adapt with a change of circumstances.  Further, trying to control often leads us to worry about all of the things that could possibly go wrong…many of which will not ever happen.  In short we need to let go of the past, accept what we cannot change and stop fretting over what may or may not be.  We can achieve a state of mental repose when we trust in God; give all of our burdens, worries and fears to Him; and receive the peace of Christ and allow it to rule our lives.

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.  For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:9-10)  One day, whether through death or the second coming of Christ we will all enter our eternal rest.  We will exchange our mortal bodies that wear out for our eternal ones.  Our souls will be at peace and no longer need a respite because we will have been perfected; we will abide in the presence of our God; we will be free of sin, temptation and trials; and we will have perfect fellowship with all of those who die in Christ.  Our minds will no longer need repose because we will know and be fully known and enjoy perfect peace.  That is the prize for living well in service to our Father, our Savior and our Comforter…God Almighty.

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you!

Will