A Better Rest
Hebrews was written to a people who had begun following Jesus but found themselves stalled—spiritually fatigued, uncertain, and tempted to return to old habits, traditions, and ways of life that once felt familiar and secure.
The message of Hebrews is both a warning and an encouragement: don’t turn back. Stand firm in the new revelation God has given—the person of Jesus, God’s one and only Son. Lean into this new way of living out faith, not just through belief, but through actions, words, thoughts, and the condition of our hearts.
Today, Hebrews brings us to a deeply human and deeply spiritual longing: rest. Or, as Hebrews frames it, a better rest—the rest that is offered to us in Jesus.
The Promise of Rest Still Stands
Hebrews 4 reminds us that God’s promise of rest has not expired.
The good news had been proclaimed before—to the Israelites in the wilderness—but it did not benefit them because it was not met with faith and obedience. The issue wasn’t the promise itself, but their response to it.
The author of Hebrews reaches back to creation, reminding us that God rested on the seventh day—not because He was tired, but because His work was complete. From the very beginning, rest was woven into God’s design.
And yet, rest remained elusive for God’s people. Even after entering the Promised Land under Joshua, something was still missing. Hebrews makes it clear: there is a deeper, greater rest that was never fully realized then—and that rest is still available today.
Created to Work—and to Rest
From the beginning, humanity was created to work:
“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28)
Work is good, but productivity can become the problem when it becomes the focus.
Genesis also tells us that God rested on the seventh day and declared His creation good. This rest was not merely inactivity. It was appreciation. Delight. Satisfaction in what had been done.
Rest, then, is not just about lying down—it’s about stepping back. Enjoying. Remembering why we’re doing what we’re doing in the first place.
Over time, the meaning of Sabbath became distorted. What was meant to be holy and life-giving became rigid and burdensome. Jesus confronted this misunderstanding again and again, reminding people that Sabbath was made for humanity—not the other way around. One holy day was never meant to imply that all other days were unholy. Instead, Sabbath refocuses us on God and loosens our grip on the work that can so easily consume us.
At its core, Sabbath—and rest itself—is about restoring relationship: with God, with others, and with creation.
Rest as Relationship
To “enter God’s rest” is another way of describing restored relationship with Him—living fully present in His love and provision. That relationship is made possible through Jesus.
God sent His Son to remove the barrier between us and him. Jesus died for our sins so we could live in right relationship with our Father. This is the “good news” Hebrews speaks of: God has made a way for us to know Him, trust Him, and rest in Him.
Jesus puts it simply:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Or, as The Message beautifully paraphrases it:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me… I’ll show you how to take a real rest.”
Still, many of us struggle with this invitation. Rest sounds good in theory, but in practice it feels vulnerable. It requires trust. It asks us to let go of control.
Why We Resist Rest
Hebrews identifies faith as the missing element for those who failed to enter God’s rest. Disobedience and hardened hearts kept them from receiving what God freely offered.
How often do we find ourselves saying, “Let’s go back to Egypt”—back to what’s familiar, productive, even painful—because at least there we know what to do? Dependency on God can feel far more uncomfortable than self-sufficiency.
“Hearing God’s voice” isn’t always easy either. Like Samuel, we sometimes need to be taught how to listen. And when God calls, fear and shame can rise up faster than love. Instead of running toward Him, we hesitate. We harden our hearts.
Yet Scripture reminds us again and again: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.
The Discipline of Rest
Rest often requires discipline. For some of us, stopping feels harder than starting. We enjoy being busy. We like producing, achieving, accomplishing.
But God did not create us primarily to work for Him—He created us to abide in Him. To be with him.
True rest looks different for different people. It may involve play, reflection, creativity, connection, or stillness. But beyond all of that is something deeper: resting in Him. This kind of rest restores what was first lost in the garden—intimacy with our Creator.
Rest teaches us to operate not from depletion or survival, but from abundance.
And obedience grows out of love. Over time, as relationship deepens, obedience becomes less about rule-following and more about response—responding to a God who loved us first.
Rest Now—and Rest to Come
Rest is available to us today. The question is not whether God offers it, but whether we are willing to receive it.
Where is striving getting in the way of your life with Jesus?
Where might obedience—letting go, trusting, pausing—open the door to rest?
Hebrews also points us toward a future rest. Revelation 14:13 gives us this promise:
“They will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
Scripture paints a picture of a restored world—a new heaven and a new earth—where work and rest are no longer in tension, but beautifully intertwined. There will be no futility, no frustration, no survival mode. Work will flow from love, worship, and relationship with our Creator.
A Better Way Forward
God invites us to find our rest in Him—both now and in the future He has promised. The God who created us also rested, not because He needed to, but to show us that life is more than striving, and that our worth is not measured by productivity.
Jesus shows us a better way to rest—and offers us a foretaste of perfect rest that is available even now.
Let’s not waste it.