Have you ever marveled at how much work is involved in taking a day off, or the mountain of laundry you must do to pack for a vacation? Rest and relaxation are in the forecast, but getting there requires a surprising level of dedicated work. We work in order to rest all the time, and Scripture gives us a similar paradox: we are called to strive to enter the rest God gives.
The writer of Hebrews recounts the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites and the rest God had promised his people. This rest included an inheritance of a land overflowing with abundance, divine security from all of Israel’s enemies, and a place where God was worshiped, and the people flourished. That unbelieving generation, because of their unbelief and disobedience, never entered that rest (Heb 4:3, 5).
Had they not disbelieved, had they not worshiped false gods and idols, and had they not hardened their hearts to the Lord—they would’ve experienced God’s rest. And so, the writer says, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, and we should strive to enter it (Heb 4: 9,11). In other words, we do not work to earn God’s rest; we strive to persevere in faith and obedience, so we don’t follow Israel’s example of unbelief.
Are you struggling to find rest in the Lord? Do you feel only the struggle and none of the relief that comes from trusting him? Consider these 20 verses to start your study on God’s promised rest.
20 Bible Verses About Resting in the Lord
- Exodus 33:14 (ESV)
And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” - Deuteronomy 12:9–10 (ESV)
For you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety, - Joshua 21:44 (ESV)
And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. - Psalm 4:8 (ESV)
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. - Psalm 23:1–3 (ESV)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. - Psalm 37:7 (ESV)
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! - Psalm 42:5 (ESV)
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation. - Psalm 116:7 (ESV)
“Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” - Psalm 119:165 (ESV)
Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble. - Psalm 131:2 (ESV)
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. - Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Isaiah 26:3–4 (ESV)
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. - Isaiah 30:15 (ESV)
In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. - Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - John 14:27 (ESV)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” - John 15:4–5 (ESV)
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 16:33 (ESV)
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Hebrews 4:9–11 (ESV)
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. - 1 Peter 5:6–7 (ESV)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
The paradox of working to rest
‘Striving’ has become somewhat of a bad word in our culture today, but not all striving is negative. There’s a striving of faith and obedience that refuses unbelief and presses on toward the rest God gives. The writer of Hebrews tells us to go hard after it.
This paradox of working to rest is the same paradox in pursuing holy leisure. We pursue enjoying Jesus in his Word not to earn rest from him, but to learn to live from the rest he gives. Just like our days off and planned vacations, there is often effort involved in getting to rest. And so it is in our walk with Jesus: faithfulness helps us receive and enjoy it.
So, strive to enter his rest. Pursue holy leisure with him, and you will experience a foretaste of his glorious rest.
Cara
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- Your Identity & What It Means to Be Crucified with Christ
- What is Man That You Are Mindful of Him
- Jesus is the Good Shepherd
- 20 Bible Verses on Spending Time With God
P.S. If you want to explore this idea further, grab a copy of my book The Pursuit of Holy Leisure