I try to take one Sabbath rest day every week, preferably Wednesday, so I scheduled this to post while I’m relaxing with my wife somewhere special. And… Breathe…

Have you ever felt like you’re running on empty? Like no matter how much you accomplish, there’s always more to do? If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

A global survey of over 1,300 managers across four continents found that one-third suffer from ill health due to stress caused by information overload. That number jumps to 43% among senior managers. We live in a world where exhaustion has become a status symbol, and busyness is worn like a badge of honour.

I’m sorry to say this is perhaps even more the case among many of us Christians than the rest of the world. Years ago I went to a church experiencing full blown revival and the leader proudly stated from the front ‘We have been going at this 47 days now without a break and we ain’t stopping till God does!’

“Oh no,” I thought “To many moves of God have been destroyed because those ‘running them’ never took a break until they broke, crashed and burned. A month or so later we all heard the guy had run off with a young woman and left his wife. Sabbath isn’t an optional extra for any of us, it’s a command for our own good.

Barbara Brown Taylor wrote:
“Some of us have made an idol of exhaustion. The only time we know we have done enough is when we’re running on empty… When we lie down to sleep at night, we offer our full appointment calendars to God in lieu of prayer, believing that God—who is as busy as we are—will surely understand.”

That’s why Gordon MacDonald says, “I’m of the opinion that busyness is a deeper threat to the soul than pornography ever was.” WOW!

So what’s God’s answer to this problem?

The fourth commandment. The Sabbath.

What Does It Mean to Keep the Sabbath?

Deuteronomy 5:12-14 commands us to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy (separate, set apart) So in practice what does that mean?

1. Stop
   The word Sabbath literally means to stop. To cease. To pause. It was a radical idea for Israel. After 400 years of slavery in Egypt with no days off, God gave them a command to rest. Not just them, but their children, their servants, even their animals. It was a reminder that they were no longer slaves. Are you living like a slave to your work, your calendar, your commitments?
2. Rest
   Eugene Peterson defines Sabbath as “uncluttered time and space to distance ourselves from the frenzy of our own activities so we can see what God was and is doing.” If we don’t sabbath consistently, we start to believe our own ridiculous self publicity that everything depends on us. That we are the centre of the universe. Sabbath rest reminds us that God is at work even when we are not. When was the last time you truly rested—not just from work, but from worry?
3. Worship
   The Puritans called the Sabbath the “market day of the soul.” On the other six days, we tend to the demands of work, but on this day, we tend to the health of our soul. Sabbath is a day set apart for singing, for worship, for renewal, and for remembering that our worth to God isn’t tied to what we produce, but it’s all about being in kids – who we are in Christ.

Why Did God Command the Sabbath?

1. Because He Did It First

In Genesis, God created for six days and rested on the seventh—not because He was tired, but to set a pattern for us, who he knew would be when he made us.

Exodus 20:11 reminds us that “In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

If God stopped, so should we, if we want to live a ‘godly’ life rather than work ‘ungodly hours..’

2. Because Rest Is Resistance

Deuteronomy 5:15 tells us that Israel was commanded to rest because they had been slaves in Egypt. Slaves don’t get to enjoy a Sabbath.

Free people do.

When we refuse to stop, we are choosing a kind of slavery. To work. To our inbox. To expectations.

What if your refusal to take a Sabbath is keeping you in bondage?

3. Because We Are Not Machines

The Sabbath reminds us that people are people – not commodities. We are not designed for 24/7 productivity. The French Revolution tried to abolish the seven-day week and replace it with a ten-day work cycle. It was a disaster. Suicide rates soared. People and animals collapsed under the weight of constant labour.

Sabbath is a weekly declaration that we are not machines we are mortal.

Want to see the consequences of neglecting rest? Watch this TED Talk: Sleep is Your Superpower

How Do We Keep the Sabbath Today?

I have heard some argue that Sabbath was just an Old Testament concept, but Jesus himself observed it (Luke 4:16). What he rejected was the legalistic rules the Pharisees had added to it to make it a burden not a blessing. He declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

The early church shifted the day from Saturday to Sunday in honour of Jesus’ resurrection. That’s why Revelation 1:10 refers to “the Lord’s Day”. I don’t actually see what I do on Sunday as ‘work’ even though I work very had most Sundays, I volunteer my gifts and serve the people of God alongside all the others who do so on that day, and I make sure I take a day off elsewhere in the week.

While we are free from the rigid Old Testament regulations, we are still invited into the rhythm that enables us to work from a place of rest as Adam did (remember his first ‘job’ was to go to sleep!).

Sabbath vs. A Day Off

It’s important to recognise that Sabbath is not just a “day off.”

A day off is a secular concept. It’s about leisure, errands, and catching up on life. We live in a culture obsessed with leisure, yet people are more exhausted than ever.

The Sabbath is different. It’s about rest that includes God. Rest that restores.

J.I. Packer put it this way: “Choose the leisure activities that bring us closest to God, to people, to beauty, and to all that ennobles.”

How to Start (or Restart) Practicing the Sabbath

1. Pick a day (it doesn’t have to be Sunday, especially if you work in ministry).
2. Stop working (set boundaries—emails, notifications and chores can wait!).
3. Rest (take a walk, read, enjoy a meal with friends or family who bring you life).
4. Worship (attend church, pray, read scripture).
5. Trust God (resist the lie that everything will fall apart if you stop).

Final Challenge

Albert Schweitzer said, “If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan.”

Does your soul have a Sabbath? Or is it running on fumes?

This week, make Sabbath a priority. Block out a day. Protect it. Enjoy it.

Because when you rest, you’re not being lazy—you’re being obedient.