What Does the Bible Say About Rest: 35 Helpful Bible Verses
Finding your rest in God is vital, especially amidst the busy seasons of motherhood. I often want to push past rest; to keep going and doing, but God calls me to live in His rest and His provision. The following Bible verses on rest will help you reset your perspective on rest and see it as a gift of God given out of his wisdom and unfailing love.
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35 Bible Verses About Rest
What does the Bible say about rest? Why does it matter that the people of God be restful and rested, instead of overwhelmed, busy, and tied to our almighty schedules and color-coded calendars?
Rest says something about our trust in God, our ability to NOT work and have a life that isn’t dependent on our hustling, but instead on God’s generous giving. We see principles of rest feature prominently in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, showing us how important the practice of rest is.
Old Testament Bible Verses About Rest
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. -Genesis 2:2-3
God created rest and modeled resting which shows us the importance of rest on the seventh day of creation. In the very beginning of time, before any human being worked a day ever, God knew how much we would need rest, so He carved out a time for physical rest each week and modeled doing it.
I wonder how God spent that first day of rest…walking in the garden, lying in the grass, swimming in the lake, speaking to animals, taking a nap. (<<<one of my favorite ways to rest.)
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. -Deuteronomy 6:12-15
A weekly Sabbath rest (held on Saturday in the Old Testament) is one of the 10 commandments and was a cornerstone of life for the Jewish people. The purpose of the Sabbath was for a holy day of remembrance of what God had done for the people of Israel and a demonstration of their continued trust in Him.
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” -Exodus 33:14
True rest is found in God’s presence. This was one of my favorite verses I came across as I studied rest. The promise that God’s presence is our constant rest in the troubles of life brings such beautiful peace and security. His presence is the rest we need in our quickly spinning world.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul… Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.-Psalm 23:1-2,4
God is pictured in this beloved Psalm as the Good Shepherd leading His beloved sheep to everything they need–shelter, food, safety, and rest.
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. -Psalm 62:1
Another reminder that rest is found in God alone, as well as our eternal security.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you. -Isaiah 26:3
Rest isn’t just for our bodies, but for our minds as well. We need rest from the burden of carrying everything and thinking about everything and surrender to the perfect peace of mind found in trusting God for all things.
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. -Isaiah 30:15
God calls His children to repent (to have a 180 degree change of mind and behavior) and show their repentance by resting on the Sabbath, as God commanded. But sadly they resisted. Breaking the sabbath was one of many commands of the Lord they broke leading to their exile in Babylon. (Check out this podcast to learn more!)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. -Isaiah 40:28-29
God’s not getting tired. Ever. He’s never sleeping on your life. In fact, He’s empowering you to do everything He asks of you.
This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths, “Which is the way to what is good?” Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, “We won’t!” -Jeremiah 6:16
Jeremiah urges the people of Israel to continue to obey the ancient commands and find goodness and rest for themselves, but unfortunately they choose the opposite.
For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish. -Jeremiah 31:25
God promises satisfaction and replenishment for those weary and just barely hanging on. Rest is one of His good and faithful gifts to His children.
What Does the New Testament Say About Rest?
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. -Matthew 11:28-30
This is one of my favorite Bible verses and is one of the most beautiful invitations, commands and promises all wrapped up into one. Christ Jesus promises to hold our burdens and give us rest, not just for our bodies but for our souls. Ease and lightness are with Him.
Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. -Mark 6:31.
Jesus, just like His Father, calls us to the gift of rest: A sweet, whispered invitation to intimacy, relaxation, and quiet. Please note that Jesus doesn’t ask you to bring your Facebook friends or your planner with you. He wants you and Him, alone.
Resting is a great time to practice meeting with God, resting in His presence and practice praying to connect with Him.
She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
-Luke 10:39-40
God’s call to rest isn’t easy Rest is one of the hardest things for mom’s to do. For a lot of us there seems to be little to no opportunity for rest. Work schedules, our kids’ needs, caring for the house, meal prep, workouts, social engagements, and church activities take up all of our time.
Just like Martha in the Biblical story in Luke 10, we can easily prioritize and pride ourselves on our work over our rest.
It’s easy to show off on social media about all we are DOING, but it’s much harder to celebrate and practice rest in our culture and time period. We are obsessed with hustle, always being connected, and honestly as mama’s there isn’t much down time in this job.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7
If you’re wondering how we rest in God, especially emotionally and mentally, this verse provides a great guide! By praying and thankfulness we can surrender our concerns to God.
RELATED: 20 ENCOURAGING TRUTHS FOR THE ANXIOUS CHRISTIAN MOM
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. -Hebrews 4:9-11
God offers rest to us–eternal spiritual rest from our striving to earn our salvation and the respite of grace given freely by Jesus Christ’s work on the cross. The NIV Study Bible commentary says “Not a call to earn one’s salvation by works, but an exhortation to enter salvation-rest by faith and not follow Israel’s sad example in the desert.”
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” -Revelation 14:13
Heaven is the ultimate eternal rest for God’s children, where their history of faith follows them and they enjoy the rest of God’s presence forever.
6 Ways to Find Rest in God as a Busy Mom
You may be wondering: “But how do I find rest?”
Sometimes rest can seem like a pipe dream…A couple of weeks ago my MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group spent some time learning and talking about the idea of rest in the Bible. During our conversation time it became clear that we all desperately needed a good night’s rest, but had no clue how to go about getting it or any rest at all while in this really intense (parenting kids 5 and under) stage of life.
How do we busy women–the nose-wipers, the dinner fixers, the church girls–find rest with Jesus in our everyday moments? I don’t have all the answers, but here are some things that have helped me and that I’m leaning into in order to rest more.
1. Make resting before God a priority.
I’m very pregnant right now. I have a two year old, who is very…two. I’m tired a lot. But getting up just 20 or 30 minutes before I know that sweet tot will be up is such a game-changer. My morning time with Jesus in God’s Word with a hot cup of coffee in hand is sweet refreshment to me. It sets the tone of my day, and is my chance for a small rest before the day even begins.
2. Ask for rest.
I don’t think God would create, command, and invite us into rest if it was impossible. Pray for God to open moments of rest during your daily routine. Pray for the Holy Spirit to make you sensitive to those times and stop in God’s presence.
3. Say goodbye to time wasters.
Only you know what wastes your time. Social media can devour an hour in a heartbeat. So can multiple trips to the grocery store, library story hours, reading, couponing, blog reading (aka “online research”), and many other good things.
But those good things aren’t good anymore if they distract me from the eternal things God has called me to: loving Him wholeheartedly and loving well the people He has given me. Weed out the time thieves in your life.
4. Prioritize rest.
Allow yourself to let go of some things so you can rest. Maybe that is perfectly organized anything or clean baseboards or laundry that gets folded right from the dryer.
In our sharing at our MOPs group our “mentor mom” who was a full-time working mom shared that she loved interacting and playing with her kids after work. She joyfully made messes and created with her children while she could.
And guess what? They outsourced the house cleaning. She loved her job as a Kindergarten teacher and loved playing with her kids, so she prioritized those things and let the housework go.
Knowing your priorities will help you let go so you can be refreshed.
5. Open your eyes to a different kind of rest in God.
In my perfect world I would always have my coffee and Jesus time first thing and it would be a full 45 minutes of reading, journaling, praying, and even creating beauty in His presence. But that is not how it goes some (most) days.
Practice abiding in the presence of God all day long. When you pray for your breakfast, actually pray, don’t just “say the blessing”. Turn on some Christian music and worship and dance with your kids. Let the words wash you and sing them TO God. Observe beauty in a flower, the snowfall, your babies eyes–wonder and worship in the little things.
God doesn’t want to be a 30 minute appointment you keep every morning; He wants to walk with you in the mundane, gritty, and joyous areas of your life. This is a lot harder to do for me than just checking off a “quiet time” box on my mental to-do list.
6. Ask for help
If rest is hard right now don’t be afraid to ask for help to get some rest. Find a friend (trade rest times), Grandma, spouse, or babysitter and get away. Literal rest (aka sleep) is great and exactly what I need sometimes.
Other times I’ve asked my husband to handle dinner and strolled around Barnes and Noble with a latte in hand just browsing. I’ve asked for rest to spend time with my girlfriends chatting, building relationships and being encouraged. Bottom line: Find a way to rest in a way that refreshes your soul.
I don’t have this resting business all figured out. Sometimes my mind wanders, sometimes I’m not intentional about it, sometimes I’m so task oriented I just can’t rest–I’m in the kitchen scrubbing the proverbial (and literal) pots and pans.
But I believe my good God desires rest for me. He longs for me to rest in Him, to be nuzzled in His arms close enough to hear His heartbeat.
He wants to give us the rest we crave. Let’s reach out and clasp it close. For more ways to grow in your joy and purpose as a mom get your FREE copy of my Vibrant Mom Starter Guide.
Photography by Heather Burns.
Great tips. I am trying less to get sucked into the little time stealers so that I too have more time for rest.
Yes! I realized this winter how my disorganization and uh, laziness contributed to my stress levels so I was always doing little piddly things instead of really enjoying my time and finding rest. It’s a hard thing to find no matter where you are in life! And you’ve got a lot on your plate, girl!
God bless you sister! I love how you embrace the physical aspect of rest God wants for us! Keep going for Him!❤️