“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Genesis 2:2-3). We often carve onto the tombstones of the dead the phrase “rest in peace.” Jesus Christ died so close to the beginning of the Jewish Day of Rest that they had to rush to get Him buried before the Sabbath officially started. It is fitting that on the day set aside to honor the Day that Jehovah finished His work of Creation and rested from all of His labors, once again Jehovah in His mortal incarnation as Jesus Christ also finished His work and was laid to rest on the Seventh Day. In a mad dash world where productivity is king and rest is often postponed or dispensed with entirely, I think it is important that we follow the example of our Savior and make rest an important part of our lives. It would have not had the same impact if Jesus died on the cross and burst out of the tomb fifteen minutes after they had rolled the stone in place. His disciples needed to take the necessary time to grieve and process the loss of their Friend and their Master. Christ Himself needed to rest after all that He had gone through. I know that Rest is an important part of the Gospel and of the Plan of Salvation. God does not want us to burn out before our work is finished, nor does He want us to remain idle longer than is needful. As we give heed to the promptings of the Spirit, we will find that the Lord will help us to find the rest that we need.
