Rest. We know it’s good. We know we need it. We probably want more of it. Dragging feet, dark bags under our eyes, and deflated hearts testify this to be the case.

But it also serves a larger function. Momentary rest is meant to foreshadow eternal rest. By “eternal rest” I mean the Rest-In-Peace variety after our time on earth wraps up, and where and when every tear is wiped from every eye.

Revelation 21:4 gives us a glimpse: “There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Let’s ponder that kind of rest for a moment.

Rest from worry and anxiety. Can you even imagine that? Think of what you worry about most. What keeps you up at night? Gone. 

Rest from pain. What pains you in your mind or in your body? Gone.

Rest from fear. What are you afraid of? Can you imagine an existence where you never experience any kind of fear again? Gone.

Rest from work and labour. The grind, the bills, the stress… gone!

God has commanded us to set aside one day a week for rest and worship. Not only does it refresh our bodies, but it lifts our focus, re-directing our eyes from the weekly grind to the big picture promise, re-kindling our hope in that soul-satisfying day when the old order of things has passed away.

Yes, momentary rest is meant to foreshadow eternal rest.

Be deliberate. Pause. Worship. Rest.

Day one is a weekly reminder that the best is yet to come.

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Notes:

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.