Why We Should Get Enough Rest

Every now and then I hear someone say, “I don’t need sleep.” Or “sleep is overrated.”

I used to be one of these people.

Most of my life, I have been a good sleeper. Andrea has said that I fall asleep within the 30 seconds of getting into bed. And despite the occasional nightmare that keeps me awake, most nights of sleep are restful.

As I age, I am learning that rest is important for the human body – both physically and spiritually. I exhort my fellow Christians to see rest as a priority. Rest should not receive the same status as spiritual disciplines like meditation or prayer or fellowship, but if there was a 2^nd tier of activities that I believe provide significant spiritual benefit, it would be rest.

And here is why.

First, God doesn’t need rest and we are not Him (Psalm 121:3-4). There are some attributes of God that we say are incommunicable, which means they don’t transfer to us. We cannot be perfect like God; we cannot know all things like God. God never tires; we do. We need sleep; He doesn’t.

Second, rest is a gift from God to those He loves (Psalm 127:2). Consider many of the gifts God gives: rain, salvation, family, vocation, etc. If God has determined that rest is worthy enough to be labeled as a gracious gift, we are foolish to reject it.

Third, resting – and more literally sleeping – is a demonstration of trusting God. is there any time where you are more vulnerable than when you are asleep? When Andrea was pregnant with Jackson, we had a home invasion in the middle of the night. And while we did not confront our robbers and never knew they were in the house, we were rightly freaked out the next day when we discovered people were in our house without our invitation. Going to bed every night and falling asleep is a means of saying to God, “I trust you will watch over me and my family and home.”

Fourth, Jesus needed sleep as a man and he was not afraid to even choose sleep over business (Luke 8:23). Some people don’t like to miss out on the action; so, they resist any kind of rest. Jesus knew when to give his body a break. Our bodies require sleep. They would die without it.

Rest is beautiful.

I am privileged to be given 2 days off every week, and I take advantage of that perk every chance I get. When I have opportunities to take a nap, I jump into bed with a smile. When I can just sit and be at rest in one of my chairs at home, I sit there and just think or stare thanking God for blessed rest.

God gives us blessed rest. Use it!