Hebrews -- Holding on to JesusSample

A Better Rest

Have you ever been completely exhausted? Not just a little tired or behind on sleep, but totally worn out. The kind of exhaustion that follows running a marathon or enduring hours of labor in a delivery room. In those moments, we crave rest for both body and mind. But Scripture tells us there is a rest even more important than physical or mental recovery: spiritual rest. Hebrews 4 is centered entirely on the concept of what it means to enter God’s perfect rest. Unlike physical exhaustion, the need for spiritual rest may not feel as urgent, but it is far more important because it touches eternity. Here’s the good news: In Christ, this spiritual rest has already been made available. The invitation stood thousands of years ago and it still stands today. We simply must choose to enter it.

Hebrews 4:1 offers both a promise and a warning. The promise is this: Even though the Israelites failed to enter God’s rest, the Promised Land, God did not close the door forever. That same promise of rest remains open to us today. But there’s a warning, too. Just as they missed out because of unbelief, so can we. Spiritual rest is still available, yet we can fail to enter it through the same patterns of disobedience and lack of faith. This is unbelief that says, “I can’t rely on God; I have to do it all myself.” That mindset isn’t just exhausting; it’s the opposite of rest. It is taking what should be left at the cross, and keeping it on our shoulders. It is this unbelief and lack of trust that leads to a wilderness wandering life: always striving, never arriving.

Hebrews 4:4 references the seventh day of creation to show that rest was not an afterthought; it was God’s original design. After six days of creating, God rested. Not because He was tired; He is all-powerful and never weary, but because He ceased from His work. He paused, observed, and declared it good. This principle of stopping, seeing, and appreciating is something we often miss. We run ourselves into physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual collapse because we don’t know how to pause and rest, both physically and spiritually. God’s rest was a signal that everything was completed and in order. It was good. The number seven, representing completion, shows us that creation wasn’t finished without rest, and neither are we. The Sabbath, or “Shabbat,” was God’s gift to us. Yet like so many divine gifts, humanity has misunderstood, misused, abused and even resisted it. Today, even within the church, Sabbath is often seen as optional or as a mere recovery day. We treat it like a reset button after six days of chaos: “I’ll live recklessly all week, then take one day to recharge.” But rest isn’t a pause from life; it’s supposed to be a part of life. God invites us to live wisely and worshipfully all seven days, not just one. The pause is the opportunity to realign on who our Sabbath is, and that is Jesus Christ. We don’t just observe a day; we observe a person.

Think about Israel’s journey out of Egypt. What began with freedom and hope ended in mass graves in the wilderness for an entire generation. Why? Because they heard God’s promise but didn’t believe it. Unbelief spread a negative report that led to an entire nation remaining outside of rest. Even today, it’s possible to hear God’s word, experience His power, and still stop short of truly entering His rest. Like Israel, we can stand on the edge of the Promised Land and still walk away because of unbelief. We can read and know all about God’s rest, but fail to enter in.

So the big question is this: How Do We Enter That Rest? The first step is salvation, trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior. When we do, we step out of darkness and into the kingdom of God. But that’s only the beginning. Spiritual rest means we stop striving for righteousness through performance. It means we depend not on our own merit but fully on God’s grace. The Christian life is not about working for God’s approval but from it. And while salvation is the entry point, the process of living in rest continues through the renewing of your mind. You must make space in your life for spiritual stillness, to be instead of always do. To rest in God is to live in daily, intentional dependence on Him. Less of me, more of Him, day by day, for the rest of your life. Rest isn’t a suggestion; it’s a command, a promise, and a blessing. But like any gift from God, it must be received by faith. If you feel constantly drained, consider this: Are you trying to do life in your own strength? God’s rest is not passive. It’s active trust. It’s not just about stopping what you’re doing—it’s about starting to trust who God is. So today, choose rest. Choose to believe. Choose to step into the peace, joy, and freedom that God has already prepared for you.