Resting does not come naturally to me. Sure, I enjoy leisure: kicking back, eating some delicious Peanut M&M’s, and watching Netflix with my favorite brunette in the world.

But I do find it difficult to rest. It does not come naturally for me to be still, be quiet, and be content with the limits of my efforts and labors. But if I believe what the Bible says, then it’s truly best to rest. Here are two reasons why:

1. When we rest, we worship. When we rest we are recognizing that God is God, and that we are not. He does not grow weary. We do. He is not limited in His understanding. We are. We rest because we trust Him, His promises, and that He will keep His promises (more on this below).

When we rest we profess that our security is not a result of our work, but of God’s. When the activity (and inactivity) of our lives match the truths we profess about God, we worship Him.

2. When we rest, we are strengthened. In Isaiah 40, God promises that He will increase the strength of those who rest and wait on Him. As we worship God with both our labor and our rest, He is faithful to give us strength that can only come from Him.

It’s a beautiful paradox. We work so hard to gain so much. Yet, in all our labor we cannot earn what God offers freely. He simply invites us to rest in Him and who He is.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31