As a twenty-first century woman, it is easy to run yourself into the ground with
endless tasks; cooking, cleaning, working, childcare, shopping and the list goes
on. However the bible says in Genesis 2:2-3, “On the seventh day God had
finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work and God blessed
the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from
all his work of creation.”

Although, God through his Word talks about rest as a metaphor for death
(1 Kings 15:24) and the perfect peace of His Kingdom (Hebrews 4:10), lets focus
on the physical need for rest.

The fourth commandment commands us to keep the Sabbath holy and God said to the Jews in Exodus 31:15 “…but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day, a day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord.” This indicates that God is concerned with the aspects of our lives that we often take for granted or deem insignificant.

The psalmist David says in Psalm 23:2 “He lets me rest in green meadows” some versions say lie down – giving physical rest to the body.  In psalm, 127:2 David says, “…for God gives rest to his loved ones.  God so loves us and is aware of our physical needs including that of rest.

Many times in the New Testament Jesus went away and rested for example Mark 6:31 “Then Jesus said, ‘lets go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest a while’ He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.”

We see from Jesus’ example that we all need rest – not necessary sleep, as the dictionary definition of rest is “The refreshing quiet or repose of sleep; relief or freedom especially from anything that wearies.” 

Therefore ladies lets recognise the importance of rest, make time for it in our busy lives and take up Jesus’ invitation “…Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) But don’t over do it, King Solomon warns us in Proverbs 6:10-11 and again Proverbs 24:33 “A little extra sleep, a little more slumber a little folding of the hands to rest then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.” You’ve been warned!