With this in mind, it seems to me that we can use nature to illustrate the need for rest. Just as God provided a season of rest for nature, so we would be wise to see God’s design for rest in our own lives. Trees and plants have seasons of dormancy, or rest so that when the rest is over, and spring comes, they can burst forth with vitality. When considering the soil, we see that a period of rest is beneficial. God commands that the land be given rest from the demands of productivity for a time to afford it restoration (Lev. 25:4).
In the same way, we were designed to have seasons of refreshing through designated periods of rest (Deut. 5:14). Rest was not only a command to obey, but a needed reprieve to enjoy. It is a needed relief from those things that burden us (Matthew 11:29), and a source of refreshing (Exodus 23:12).If we fail to get the required rest we run the risk of becoming physically and spiritually drained.
The world today is a busy place. So much to do and so little time. Our busyness spills over into our rest. Is it any wonder we are tired? Take a lesson from nature. God created all there is and then ceased from his work. He then commanded a Sabbath Rest for his creation. It is not that God wants to steal our time and burden us with less time to get our work done. It is that we were created with a need for rest. We ignore it to our own detriment (Isaiah 28:12), but when we turn back to God seek His ways we find rest for our souls (Jeremiah 6:16; Matt. 11:29).
