THE PURPOSE OF REST

By: Pastor Flávio Macieira - 2025

Day 5 of the "The Desk and the Altar: Finding God in Your Daily Work" series.

Imagine a lumberjack who spends all day in the forest, felling trees with his axe. He works furiously, without stopping, sweating and exhausting himself. A traveler passes him in the early morning and sees him working. Late in the afternoon, the traveler returns and finds the same lumberjack, now visibly worn out, swinging the axe with great effort but barely managing to cut down the trees. The traveler approaches and asks, "Friend, why don't you stop for a moment to sharpen your axe?" The lumberjack, out of breath, replies, "I can't stop! I'm too busy cutting down trees!"

This story tragically summarizes our work culture. We glorify "busy" and see rest not as a necessity, but as a luxury or, even worse, a sign of laziness. We work to the point of exhaustion with a "dull axe" and wonder why our work has lost its effectiveness and joy. But from the very beginning of creation, God established a sacred rhythm that protects our work from becoming our tyrant: rest.

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy... The seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work... For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth... but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. Exodus 20:8, 10-11 (NLT)

The commandment of the Sabbath is much more than just a rule about not working. It is an invitation to freedom. For six days, we "tend and watch over," but on the seventh, we stop. We stop not just to recover physical energy, but to reorient our souls. The Sabbath rest is an act of faith that declares, "God is in control, and the world does not depend on me." It is the day we deliberately put down our tools to remember the Owner of the forest.

Rest sharpens our axe. It gives us the perspective we lose in the midst of the hustle. It reminds us that our identity is not in our productivity, but in our status as beloved children of God. Without rest, our work, which began as an altar (Day 1), can become an idol that demands all our time and energy. The Sabbath is the circuit breaker God installed in the system to protect us from the idolatry of work. It is not the end of work, but its purpose. We work so that we can rest, and we rest so that we can work better for the glory of God.

Your Next Step of Faith: Today's step of faith is to schedule your "Sabbath." Look at your upcoming week and block out a period in your calendar (it could be a few hours or a whole day) that will be intentionally dedicated to rest and reorientation. Write "The Lord's Rest" in that time slot. Plan to do something that refreshes your soul, not just distracts you—a walk in nature, unhurried prayer time, a phone-free family lunch. Protect this time as a sacred appointment.

The Soul Mirror:

1. Do you feel guilty when you are not being "productive"? Where does that guilt come from?

2. What is the difference between "rest" (which restores) and "distraction" (which only numbs) in your life?

3. How could the regular practice of rest protect you from burnout and the idolatry of work?

Let's ask God to teach us how to rest.

Lord of Creation, You who worked and then rested, I confess that I have made an idol of work and forgotten the gift of rest. I live with a dull axe, exhausted and unproductive. Forgive my self-sufficiency. Teach me the rhythm of Your grace. Help me to honor the Sabbath, not as a legalistic rule, but as an invitation to freedom and trust in You. Restore my soul so that all my work may once again be an act of worship to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Rest is not the absence of work; it is the celebrated presence of the Creator.

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