As Christians, we should be considered (in a sense) the most well-rested people in the world, because we have been given spiritual rest from God! That spiritual rest will spill over into every aspect of our lives if we allow it. We will be able to lie down at night and fall asleep, for we have committed the cares of the day to the God who has completed all the work that really matters in Jesus Christ.

Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep. (Psalm 127:1-2)

Do you have trouble sleeping? Paradoxically, the busier life gets, the more tired we are and yet the harder it is to get good rest! We don’t have time for it, or when we finally do lay our heads down at night there are so many things racing around in our minds that we can’t fall asleep. Work is meant to be fulfilling, but ever since the fall it can often be tiresome; or as Psalm 127 puts it, it can feel like “toil.”

We’re exhausted keeping up with it all.

We burn the candle on both ends, and we end up being burnt out because of it. It may not be a normal nine-to-five job that’s wearing you down, either. It could be the work of motherhood, the stress of dealing with relatives, the unending demands on your schedule of school and sports and society. It’s exhausting to keep up with it all—but we do our best! Shouldn’t we get some credit for that? Actually, no.

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