Intervals of Rest

Bible in a Year :

Deuteronomy 28-29
Mark 14:54-72

In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth . . . but he rested on the seventh day.

Exodus 20:11

Today’s Scripture & Insight :Exodus 20:8-11

Running coach Jeff Galloway, a former Olympian, teaches a marathon training protocol that has a counterintuitive component to it. New and experienced marathoners are often surprised to learn that he advocates a “run/walk” strategy: alternating running for a set number of minutes with short periods of walking. The premise behind his approach is that the brief interludes of walking enable the body to recuperate briefly, equipping runners to finish their races faster than if they had run all 26.2 miles straight through.

The importance of intervals of rest isn’t limited to running. Rest helps us sustain the lengthy effort life requires. It’s something God addresses throughout the Bible, starting in the book of Exodus. In the Old Testament, the rhythms of rest were modelled after God’s work at the time of creation: to labour for six days and then keep “the seventh day [as] a sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:10) because God “made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day” (v. 11).

As believers in Jesus, there’s no definitive prescription for how often we’re to rest (Romans 14:5-6; Colossians 2:16-17). Rest—whenever and however we enjoy it—is meant to be restorative. Choosing to rest is also an expression of trust in God who’s faithful to supply our needs; we needn’t (and can’t) run forever.

By: Kirsten Holmberg

Reflect & Pray

How and when do you rest? How has God supplied your needs when you’ve rested as an expression of faith?

Father, thank You for giving me opportunities to trust You through rest.

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