Are You On Empty? Prioritizing Your Rest.

We’ve learned much about keeping the Sabbath rest, God’s command for our benefit. It is truly a precious gift. In fact, we weren’t made for the Sabbath, but rather the Sabbath was made for us. God didn’t create us so there would be creatures to honor His Sabbath – He created the Sabbath as a gift to His beloved children. God’s Sabbath rest is designed to allow us the time we need to rest, recharge, and renew our connection with God. When we choose to believe in God, obey His command and enter His rest, we discover His blessings as well as His unfailing love and care for us.

Why is it so important? Prioritizing rest is the key to keeping our spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental tanks filled, much like we add fuel to our vehicles every week. 

In Ephesians 6:10-12, we read, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We cannot “be strong in the Lord” and successfully fight “against the spiritual forces of evil” when our spiritual tank is empty. 

We live in a culture obsessed with physical fitness, eating right, and exercise, yet we are the least fit generation in history. Of course, there is a third element to our physical well-being and filling our physical tank. You guessed it – rest!  Lack of energy, a weak immune system, muscle aches and pains, and more have been linked to lack of rest and quality sleep. 

In Nehemiah 9:10, we read, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength,” and here we discover the key to filling our third tank – our emotional tank. Joy is the answer to emotional exhaustion and finding the strength for each day’s stress-filled situations. We have to find restful activities, designed by God, which replenish and refill our emotional tanks. 

Lastly, we need to let our mind rest. Even though God designed the human brain with enormous capacity, like any other part of our body, soul, or spirit, our minds will only function as God designed them if we keep them healthy. Rest and restorative activity are the keys to our overall health and keeping our tanks filled.  

This week, let’s pray for God’s help as we seek to claim our gift of Sabbath rest and restore ourselves – spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally.